Committees

[Ray Henry <rehenry-at-up.net>]

List

This doesn't really start a new thread -- just gives recent snippets a new
name and attempts to summarize a bit.   

01/18/2000 - Fred proposes committees ---------------
"If I were to split this up I'd do it like this:

EMC Board: decides what features to add, which platforms to port to.

EMC Architecture Committee: responsible for the pieces and how they tie
together. At this point it means editing emc/src/emcnml/emc.hh, writing
scripts, adding INI file entries, etc. I would also include the EMC task
controller here, since it's the point of entry to the controller.

EMC GUI Committee: responsible for operator GUI.

EMC Motion Committee: responsible for motion control. Outstanding items
here include full 6-axis support, and fixing the numerous bugs that keep
popping up.

EMC PLC Committee: responsible for the bridgeportio/minimillio mess. I
have some Tcl/Tk ideas on this, in which you program the PLC using Tcl
scripts."
---------

I can tell you I was really surprised.  To use a banquet analogy, I was
enjoying the NIST EMC feast near the back row when suddenly I was invited
to sit at the head table -- we all were. (don't ask where the analogy came
from) 

My opinion FWIW is that we need to take NIST up on the offer.  We have a
wide variety of talents and interests here and we can use these to amplify
the emc project.


01/21/2000 Arne wrote -----------------------------------
"I don't quite understand what Fred proposed, - making some sort of
consortium, and selected "staff"  members, etc.  We like to be free ? -
don't we ? 
<snip>
I don't like the idea of committees too much.  It seems like they don't
work too well for creative processes.  We all seem to work together pretty
well as we are doing now.  Creative discussion via email seems to be
getting a lot done already."
----------------------------

Yes we are getting a lot done already.  The number of posts to emc-at-nist.gov
have been increasing lately and several specific things have been
accomplished.  I like what we are doing with emc-at-nist.gov because some of
the technical emc stuff was bothering (small flames) some on cad_cam....
Cad_cam... is great but not for many issues.  These committees should help
us focus our contributions.  

But Arne's right!!  Whatever process we come up with -- must make all
contributions available to all.  And it should make us feel free to suggest
on any topic, not just those we're committed to or committee'd to. We
definitely don't want emcboard-at-nist.gov and so forth.  But the committee
idea will help us decide where we can make specific contributions while at
the same time reacting to what is going on with emc everywhere else. 

If the committees just keep hot ideas in some sort of ordered list, they
will be of real value.  Keep a second list of who's working on what and
we're flying.  Committees might help simply by interposing a structure to
part of the subject of the email header.  <Subject: GUIcom out - 02/10/2000
tkemc revisions> could alert members, and others interested, to something
coming along.  This wouldn't replace or exclude anything else in the
subject just focus some messages.

As many of my neighbors (U.P. Michigan USA) would ask:
Wud'ja tink, eh?

Ray