[Imc-alternatives] a note for non-geeks on the current code situation

[strypey at riseup.net]

Kia ora koutou

To summarize what's been said before about the great cms comparison project
that's been running for the last few months...

The reason for the great imc-cms discussion is to free our shrinking global pool
of Indy geeks from the (now unnecessary) work of maintaining and supporting the
second generation Indy-specific cms software (SF Active, Mir etc). By choosing a
community-developed project (like Drupal, Plone, or PhpCake) as a platform for a
third generation Indy software, Indy geeks only need to maintain code for
Indy-specific needs (like the ability to hide articles as well as just deleting
them), rather than having to maintain and document an entire cms. Also, they can
spend time working on new functions and interface improvements. Because of the
wider developer base, additions and improvements are likely to be developed and
rolled out more quickly anyway.

What non-geeks need to keep in mind about software engineering debates...

There will *always* be technical debates among geeks about the best software
package, language, operating system etc They need to consider the pros and cons
of what is available now. They also need to futureproof, considering how
sustainable a given software project is, and whether it will grow and mature as
fast as another alternative. The other fact that needs to be emphasized (I think
it's so obvious to geeks it's often overlooked) is that people will champion the
language or project that they are most skilled in. This makes sense, as they
have the expert knowledge to recommend the system they know best. Also, there's
no point them singing the praises of a project they have heard great things
about, if they have no ability to offer practical support to make it happen.
Therefore, the more geeks you add to the debate, the more complex and insoluble
the discussion will become.

What this means for the imc-alternatives working group...

To use a building analogy, we are proposing a bridge. We know which waterway we
want to cross, and where we want to get from, and to. So now we have engineers
debating over the best place for the bridge, and the best style of bridge to
build. These debates could go on forever. Sooner or later we just have to pick a
design and hire some builders. Luckily for us, we can always migrate to a
different software later on, just as you can initially build a wooden foot
bridge, then later replace it with a steel road bridge (or whatever).