Re: [tdf-discuss] Re: Do not support writing to OOXML format

On Sun, Jan 2, 2011 at 10:17 PM, Larry Gusaas <larry.gusaas@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 2011/01/02 8:51 PM  Lee Hyde wrote:
> > I haven't
> > read anything from Italo that could be construed as condescension.
>
> Italo wrote:
>
>   "If you want to have a say in software development you are welcome to
> contribute to the
>   code and you will soon be able to talk to the ESC, or maybe become a
> member of the ESC. "
>
> That is pure condescension. He is saying that because I do not write code my
> opinion is worthless and nobody will listen to me.

No, that is not what he is saying.  You are free to have any opinion
you want, and you are free to back up that opinion with arguments and
evidence.  If your arguments and evidence are good, you may very well
convince others to go along with your ideas.

But ultimately someone or some group has to make the final decision
about what is and is not going to be included.  In the case of TDF, it
is the ESC.  The people in that group have the authority to make a
final decision.

What Italo is saying (from my reading) is that authority has to be
earned, you have to convince others that you deserve that sort of
authority.  Anyone can have an opinion, and anyone can argue that
opinion, but not everyone can make a final decision.  That is what
Italo was saying, and it isn't the least bit condescending.

In short, anyone can have an opinion, but votes are restricted to only
those who have earned it.  You haven't, so your opinion has no more
inherent value than any other random user's opinion.  You have no more
authority to dictate what LibreOffice will and will not do than me.

> > As I recall, someone earlier defined the term*community*  in the context
> > of*The Document Foundation*  to include all*contributors*  and
> > explicitly excluded those who 'contribute' to mailing list discussions
> > from this broad group.
>
> Then why is this list called "Discuss"? Isn't this the place for
> discussions? Or should we quit wasting our time giving our opinions on the
> project? After all, if we do not write code we are not contributers to the
> community and have no say in the community.

You are free to discuss, you are free to make your case, but you are
not free to force your opinion on everyone else.

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