[Summary: Let's permit ourselves to evolve, collectively _and_ individually, instead of seeking a winning workflow to freeze.]
Hi Otto, At 2025-03-22T20:36:32-0700, Otto Kekäläinen wrote: > > > Just out of curiosity, what email client and plugins do you use to > > > achieve your optimal email-based workflow? > > > > I don't see where Wookey made a claim that his workflow was > > "optimal", merely that it was effective for him personally. Debian > > Developers are a diverse bunch and approach packaging with a variety > > of techniques. > > > > Not everyone will work exactly as another does; we shouldn't expect > > that. In high-dimensional spaces, a global optimum often doesn't > > exist. > > That is why I wrote "your optimal". It was an honest question about > what setup somebody has. I may have been too subtle in my attempt at brevity. Part of my point is that Wookey's workflow might not be optimal _even for him_. He could discover a tool or technique tomorrow that makes his life easier. I think this true of practically all of us. (And it's not necessarily the same tools or techniques that will improve each person's process.) > There is no need to start stating the obvious about people being > different. I think it's worth restating when threads like https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2024/07/msg00429.html linger in recent memory. > Stating that one global optimum probably does not exist is also rather > obvious. To those trained in mathematics, maybe. Many people aren't. > At the same time it can still be true that for many isolated > repetitive Debian packaging tasks a global optimum can most likely be > found with some effort. "Most likely"? By what technique did you compute your P >> 0.5? It's fine if you're personally confident that it's the case. But if you don't support a quantitative claim, don't make one (even non-numeric ones, like "most", "few", "always", or "never") without at least hinting at some source of evidence usable for reaching independent conclusions. > Regardless if a global optimum can be achieved or not, we need to tell > new aspiring Debian Developers something when they ask how to do > things, and that advice needs to be something that is compatible > enough with everyone else to make contributions valuable. Hence asking > what workflows others have is a perfectly valid question and a good > topic for discussion. I agree; we should encourage developers to explore and experiment with workflows (within the boundaries of their responsibilities). It's not necessary for each individual to focus on the search for the One Workflow To Rule Them All; if such a thing exists, I think it will reveal itself organically through converging preferences. Labor-saving devices are attractors in this chaotic space. Regards, Branden
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