[Ironruby-core] "Start spreading the news"

Jimmy Schementi
2010-10-21T23:38:05Z

In-case anyone is living under a rock, this thread has just become much more
relevant; here''s why:
blogs.msdn.com/b/jasonz/archive/2010/10/21/new-components-and-contributors-for-ironpython-and-ironruby.aspx

In short, Miguel de Icaza and I will be helping the community guide
IronRuby, while us plus Michael Foord and Jeff Hardy will help guide
IronPython. Also, IronRuby 1.1.1 has been released, which finally includes
IronRuby tools for Visual Studio and the latest work towards 1.9
compatibility. I believe Tomas will send mail about the specifics shortly.

~Jimmy


On Thu, Aug 12, 2010 at 10:22 AM, Jimmy Schementi <jimmy at
schementi.com>wrote:

> Let''s not push Tomas or Jim to say anything; This is a big enough
issue
> that I''m sure Microsoft''s PR firms are working on this.
Again, I suggest we
> be patient for the next week.
>
> ~Jimmy
>
>
>
> On Tue, Aug 10, 2010 at 12:33 PM, Will Green <will at
hotgazpacho.org> wrote:
>
>> Well, we''ve seen a few plus-ones on talking to Microsoft about
their
>> intentions for IronRuby.
>>
>> Tomas or Jim, since you''re both still on the inside, perhaps
one of you
>> could speak, on behalf of the community, with someone at Microsoft who
can
>> clarify for us what their intentions are?
>>
>> --
>> Will Green
>> http://hotgazpacho.org/
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 2:42 AM, Jimmy Schementi <jimmy at
schementi.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Ah, after a nice restful weekend of casually looking at the
psychotic
>>> twitter reactions, I think I owe this thread a little attention.
>>>
>>> First off, I appreciate the overwhelming support, and I think I
speak on
>>> behalf of Jim and Tomas as well. Thank you for caring so much, and
for all
>>> the personal best wishes. Also, I appreciate everyone who stepped
in and
>>> "cooled" down the situation. Those who see opportunity in
this are
>>> well-suited to help shape the future of the project. But enough
with the
>>> mushy stuff ...
>>>
>>> The reality of open-source software is that corporate sponsorship
and
>>> funding comes and goes, and it would appear the IronRuby project is
just
>>> going through that normal cycle. I''m grateful to Microsoft
for not only
>>> employing me, but funding IronRuby to the 1.1 release. Keep in mind
that
>>> Microsoft has not officially said anything regarding IronRuby, even
it seems
>>> my leaving Microsoft speaks volumes. So, let''s just assume
what we suspect
>>> to be true unless told otherwise.
>>>
>>> This is a monumental opportunity for you all, the IronRuby
community, to
>>> rally around something Microsoft invested in, enough to a initial
1.0
>>> release, and make it your own. However, there are two things we
should ask
>>> Microsoft to commit to during this transition:
>>>
>>>    1. *Be clear about their intentions. *I *know *this will
eventually
>>>    happen, but I want to make it clear to all of you that this is
the first
>>>    step.
>>>    2. *Donate IronRuby to a non-Microsoft entity *(again, assuming
they
>>>    don''t plan on continuing funding). Though IronRuby is
licensed under an
>>>    open-source license, it is copyright Microsoft. IronRuby.net is
owned by
>>>    Microsoft. The GitHub "ironruby" organization is
managed by Microsoft. Etc,
>>>    etc. If the intention is to cease funding IronRuby, then a
non-profit
>>>    foundation owning IronRuby, like CodePlex Foundation, would be
ideal, so
>>>    that we don''t need to jointly own the copyright. There
also is precedence in
>>>    Microsoft for internal employees to donate to the CodePlex
foundation, so
>>>    Tomas and Jim can continue to contribute.
>>>
>>> In other words, a complete transition to non-Microsoft ownership.
I''m not
>>> the only person with a voice here, so if there is anything else
you''d like
>>> to see Microsoft do for a smooth transition, please speak up and
let''s
>>> discuss it. I''m hoping my leaving announcement will speed
this process
>>> along, so assume we have little time to provide
"demands".
>>>
>>> After these things happen, then we can all start figuring how to
run the
>>> project, put infrastructure in place, and start figuring out what
we need to
>>> accomplish to release IronRuby 1.2. Or, if none if this happens in
the time
>>> we''d like, we can start FeRb (as @robconery essentially
started to do =)).
>>> But let''s try to be patient with IronRuby itself for now.
I''ve also hinted
>>> at revisiting RubyCLR, but that will be a separate project (do
contact me if
>>> you''re interested). Also, feel free to still have the
important
>>> conversations brought up in the previous messages; in no way am I
suggesting
>>> people stop talking.
>>>
>>> Cory mentioned that my "leadership and vision" was lost.
I think you''re
>>> taking my job too seriously =P  ... but joking aside, I just wanted
to move
>>> back to New York and it was time to leave Microsoft, but not Ruby
or
>>> IronRuby. So, for the foreseeable future, or unless someone else
wants to
>>> step up, you can still count on me to be the face of IronRuby and
write
>>> code. Also, my new job is in the .NET world still, so to stay sane
I''ll
>>> still want to work on IronRuby. =)
>>>
>>> This is a challenging and emotional time indeed. Again, I
appreciate
>>> everyone''s support and energy. Please keep the energy
high, but directed.
>>> Continue discussing "why IronRuby". Work in your private
fork, take shots at
>>> fixing bugs or getting more RubySpec tests passing;
they''ll eventually get
>>> integrated back. Continue blogging about how you''re using
IronRuby. Show the
>>> world that regardless of Microsoft''s position, the
community is what makes
>>> the project live.
>>>
>>> Now, discuss!
>>>
>>> ~Jimmy
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Aug 8, 2010 at 5:36 PM, Jim Deville <jdeville at
microsoft.com>wrote:
>>>
>>>>  At this point Jimmy might, but the only one that should be
commiting
>>>> there directly is the automated account. Once we get official
word from MS
>>>> on what will happen with everything, I?d be happy to discuss
the fate of the
>>>> IronRuby organization on Github J
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *From:* ironruby-core-bounces at rubyforge.org [mailto:
>>>> ironruby-core-bounces at rubyforge.org] *On Behalf Of *Orion
Edwards
>>>> *Sent:* Sunday, August 08, 2010 2:07 PM
>>>>
>>>> *To:* ironruby-core at rubyforge.org
>>>> *Subject:* Re: [Ironruby-core] "Start spreading the
news"
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 4. Rails on .NET
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I think asp.net mvc took a lot of the wind out of this
particular
>>>> scenario, but rails is still literally *years* ahead of MVC in
both maturity
>>>> and thinking.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> If we could get rails under ironruby easily deplorable to iis,
I think
>>>> this would help a lot
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On question I''d REALLY like answered is this:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Does Jimmy still have commit access to the main repos on github
now that
>>>> he''s left MS? Does anyone else outside MS have this?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thanks, Orion
>>>>
>>>> On 9/08/2010, at 3:36 AM, Kevin Berridge <kevin.w.berridge
at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  To Cory''s point about IronRuby''s credibility
in the Enterprise:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I think its certainly true that if IronRuby is not a MS
supported tool,
>>>> there will be shops that will not be able to use it.  On the
other hand,
>>>> there are still plenty of other shops that could use it, if
only they
>>>> understand what they could use it for and how.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> To date, the story of what IronRuby is "for" has been
rather weak.  I
>>>> know it''s a language, and so it''s
possibilities are just about endless, but
>>>> what are the main areas we think people can derive significant
benefit from
>>>> using it?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> If IronRuby really does end up being primarily community
driven, we need
>>>> to come up with a much better story around what it is for, and
helping
>>>> people get started with using it for those things.  This could
help drive
>>>> adoption, which could in turn help drive contributors.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Some examples of things IronRuby may be ''for":
>>>>
>>>> 1. Unit Testing (
>>>>
http://kevin-berridge.blogspot.com/2010/08/testing-c-with-rspec-and-ruby.html
>>>> )
>>>>
>>>> 2. Embedded Scripting (
>>>>
http://blog.jimmy.schementi.com/2009/12/ironruby-rubyconf-2009-part-35.html
>>>> )
>>>>
>>>> 3. Silverlight (
>>>>
http://blog.jimmy.schementi.com/2008/08/walk-through-silverlight-flickr-client.html
>>>> )
>>>>
>>>> 4. ?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Jimmy talked about #1 and #2 here:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
http://blog.jimmy.schementi.com/2010/04/mix10-part-3-using-dynamic-languages-in.html
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Kevin Berridge
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Aug 8, 2010 at 10:36 AM, Slavo Furman <slavof at
gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I agree with Cory, too, but on the other hand it would be very
helpful
>>>> if Microsoft (I mean someone who can speak for Microsoft)
clearly say
>>>> what are they intentions with IronRuby (and maybe IronPython,
too) for
>>>> the future.
>>>>
>>>> Are they "releasing IronRuby to the community"? Is
Microsoft like to
>>>> (officially) participate in future in IronRuby development? If
so, in
>>>> what way? As a project owner? And so on...
>>>>
>>>> Only knowing in what situation we really are we can make our
decisions
>>>> about what to do.
>>>>
>>>> More clarity will also help with using the technology, for
example, I
>>>> am considering using IronRuby for one project and now I do not
know
>>>> what to expect from future (questions like - will development
of
>>>> IronRuby continue, what about Silverlight and Azure support,
what
>>>> about v1.9 compatibility, ...) and it is now became problematic
to
>>>> make some of decisions.
>>>>
>>>> thanks,
>>>> Slavo.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Aug 8, 2010 at 2:51 PM, Eduardo Blumenfeld <
>>>> lists at ruby-forum.com> wrote:
>>>> > I agree 100% with Cory, we just need to calm down,
regroup, give
>>>> support
>>>> > to Tomas, make our opinions heard and continue using the
technology
>>>> that
>>>> > helps us become way more productive in our jobs.
>>>> >
>>>> > On the other hand Jimmy will still be around, he just
moved to another
>>>> > job.
>>>> >
>>>> > Regards,
>>>> >
>>>> > Eduardo Blumenfeld
>>>> >
>>>> > Cory Foy wrote:
>>>> >> Ok, I like to propose a pause in action.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Here''s what we know. Jimmy has moved on, as
has Jim. Tomas is the
>>>> main
>>>> >> person left, and from the emails we''ve
received, he''s only working on
>>>> it
>>>> >> part-time. I don''t know the politics of this
specific org, but being
>>>> an
>>>> >> ex-softie I do have an idea, and that hunch is that
the politics that
>>>> >> caused the reshuffle were not a conspiracy theory
against IronRuby,
>>>> but
>>>> >> just normal organization dysfunction and quarterly
reorganization.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> We also know thay we have a community of people who
are passionate
>>>> about
>>>> >> IronRuby, and a secondary wave of people driven into
action by the
>>>> >> events of the past day or so. It stands to reason,
from work I''ve
>>>> done
>>>> >> in other communties, that one or two will end up being
long term
>>>> >> participants because of the new awareness.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> That said, I don''t think that what we should
do right now is fork it,
>>>> >> since IronRuby relies heavily on the DLR which
wouldn''t be
>>>> controlled.
>>>> >> This is not to say that we take it off the table.
Rather we need to
>>>> ask
>>>> >> ourselves what holes have now opened up that we need
to fill:
>>>> >>
>>>> >> 1) Jimmy provided leadership and vision for the
project. We''ve now
>>>> lost
>>>> >> that, and either Tomas will pick this up internally,
or we will need
>>>> an
>>>> >> external person to run with the vision. Regardless,
the person will
>>>> have
>>>> >> to interface with and understand the vision from the
Microsoft side.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> 2) Tomas already mentioned needs like a CI and
gatekeeper. I bet
>>>> there
>>>> >> are lots of other needs, and if this is truly a
community-owned
>>>> >> movement, we need to engage with Tomas and the
remaining team to
>>>> >> understand what else we''re missing.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> 3) IronRuby has likely taken a huge blow of
credibility from the
>>>> >> enterprise adoption side, because if it isn''t
supported by Microsoft
>>>> >> PSS, they will be unlikely to use it internally or in
their products.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> All three of these are vital points that we need to
think about as a
>>>> >> community. Someone is going to have to step up to take
charge of this
>>>> -
>>>> >> and it''s not going to come from the Mono
side. Tomas may be willing
>>>> to
>>>> >> take charge as much as possible - no one has asked
him, and that''s a
>>>> >> shame.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> IronRuby has not had a heart attack which requires
CPR. That means we
>>>> >> need to take a measured, levelheaded response as a
community and work
>>>> to
>>>> >> understand how we can help and how we can respond in a
way that makes
>>>> >> sense. We already know from Jimmy''s tweets
that he''s planning an
>>>> email
>>>> >> for the group - how can we take advantage of the
knowledge Jim and
>>>> Jimmy
>>>> >> have, and support the work Tomas is doing?
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Finally, we may have a burst of energy right now, but
no form of
>>>> >> sprinting is going to help solve this. This is not a
"we have to take
>>>> >> action now before we lose the opportunity!"
moment. The code is
>>>> there.
>>>> >> Many of the contributors are there, and know what is
going on
>>>> >> internally. Let''s collaborate and find a way
to make this project a
>>>> real
>>>> >> success.
>>>> >>
>>>> >> Cory
>>>> >
>>>> > --
>>>> > Posted via http://www.ruby-forum.com/.
>>>> > _______________________________________________
>>>> > Ironruby-core mailing list
>>>> > Ironruby-core at rubyforge.org
>>>> > http://rubyforge.org/mailman/listinfo/ironruby-core
>>>> >
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Ironruby-core mailing list
>>>> Ironruby-core at rubyforge.org
>>>> http://rubyforge.org/mailman/listinfo/ironruby-core
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
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