My apprehensions listed (Re: Not merging org-lparse, org-xhtml & org-odt to the core)

[Jambunathan K <kjambunathan@gmail.com>]

Bastien

(Now with courtesy copy to the list)

> Really, Jambunathan, let's get over this useless discussion.

I don't think that the discussion was intended to be useless. I have
raised or recorded numerous issues that I was apprehensive about.

> As someone said, we both are doing our best, we should not let
> frustration (mine too!) guide our reactions.

My only goal is this - I would like to have all three files in the core
with minimum of effort expended by all parties (including you and
volunteer testers).

> My point now is: how can we make it easy for *other people* to help us
> in merging org-html.el and org-xhtml.el (assuming that you agree
> having org-xhtml.el in core is not a good idea, tell me otherwise)?

My point is having org-xhtml.el is a good idea. It takes zero effort to
merge it. We only need some serious testers to give an independent
assessment that org-xhtml.el is good to go.

All checkins to org-html.el should merge back to org-lparse.el and/or
org-odt.el and org-html.el. It is the responsibility of the whoever
makes the commit to that file. (There has been checkin to org-html.el
yesterday) Anyone should think twice before making widestpread changes
to org-html.el. 

It is difficult for me to work when the ground beneath me is
shifting. As a maintainer, it is your responsibility to make sure that
you don't do it yourself and nobody else does it. I have said it twice
already.

As I said, I will open a new thread with my merge proposals.

> I think I've perhaps put too much pressure on you by implicitly
> expecting that *you* would do this merge -- but this can be a
> task for several people.  

Most people who have participated on this thread are onlookers (in a
non-derogatory sense) and none of them have committed upfront so much as
10 month of effort into sole purpose improving something while also
living with uncertainty of whether their efforts will make it's way back
in to the core.

My situation is akin to a first-time would-be-mother who has confused
sense of high hope and worst fears. It is a daunting feeling. I am sure
there are enough fathers (if no mothers) in this list.

I will tell Nick Dokos only this. Whether a person is civil or uncivil
shouldn't really matter. Etiquette matters but doesn't matter so much as
understanding. IMHO, everyone should make sincere effort to cut through
and look in to a person's innermost fears, concerns and apprehensions.
If this doesn't happen the person has failed in a moral sense.

I fear that 

1. I will end up doing too much work.
2. Maintainers have not invested or unwilling/unable to expend
   sufficient time to assess the changes in org-lparse.el and
   org-xhtml.el. This fuels the fear because it is easy to discard
   something than to assess something and embrace it.
3. I will end up just walking away being annoyed throwing everything
   that I have put my heart in to. I have a life-long record of doing
   this.
4. People will move on to other things and start talking about
   the next awesone way to improve in Orgmode.

I need an assurance on 2. I want a freeze on org-html.el going forward.

Whatever happens the last thing that I want is an abandonware. There
lies my bottomline.

Jambunathan K.