Today I was inspired to send the below email to fedora-docs-list; more details following the quoted email.
On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 10:07:24PM -0400, David Nalley wrote:
> Simon passed me (and I just put up) the fedora specific Zikula modules:
>
> To get the source:
> git clone git://git.fedorahosted.org/git/fedora-zikula.git
>
> Included here is:
> zikula-module-fedora-fasauth
> zikula-module-fedora-themeF! T! W!
Not to be too cheery in the middle of the field of play, but I’d like
to pause to acknowledge the innovation happening in the middle of the
Docs Team.We are right now creating a way that other teams can use to interact
with each other to accomplish web interface objectives. Other Fedora
sub-projects can use the new logistics list[1] for cross-team
collaboration, and follow this model for seeking an appropriate
technical solution. Who would have thought of the idea, “Let’s give
the technical solution to whichever free software team wants to come
make their solution happen within Fedora”? Thanks, Toshio!As many of us have experienced, if this were an engineering
documentation team inside of a company trying to get IT, web design,
and project management to move this quickly on a new front-facing CMS
solution … well, it would either be a start-up and not have the same
enterprise quality legs that we have in the Fedora Project, or it
wouldn’t happen this quickly and gracefully.Great, great work …
– Karsten
[1] https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/logistics
In January of this year the Fedora Docs Team made a decision to use the CMS of whichever free software CMS project was willing to install and support (configure, maintain) directly in Fedora’s infrastructure for our high profile instance of their software.  Just seven months later and we are on target for a production usage in mid-August, just in time for Fedora 12 release cycle needs.
The intervening time included the Zikula team working with Fedora Web and Infrastructure to write new Fedora account system (FAS) and theme modules, package all of Zikula and needed modules for Fedora, and handle upstream coding and licensing issues that arose during the package review process. In this regard, the Zikula team has been very engaged and really made themselves part of the Fedora community. The community partnership is very fruitful for both parties. Fedora gains a great CMS, customized in a repeatable and scalable way, and a new Infrastructure team to manage it. Zikula is over the hump for packaging in Fedora, which helps their ability to reach new audiences of users, developers, and customers; their software and experience is hopefully better for the interaction. They should continue to gain in regard from Fedorans for how they have interacted with our contributor community.
The Fedora packaging process is especially important because Fedora Infrastructure and Fedora Documentation have the same goal as Fedora Linux: it can be used to build itself from source contained wholly within itself; it can be deployed and used identically or derivatively save for the change in Fedora logos/themes by anyone, anywhere, anytime, for any reason (all four freedoms); all of the software used is in Fedora. In fact, the latter is a requirement of the Infrastructure team. I appreciate how their high standards help all of the rest of Fedora to achieve the same heights.
100% infrastructure of freedom. Smells nice, don’t it?
“FOSS Projects the FOSS Way!”
Great stuff – two FOSS projects engaged in a virtuous circle, the opposite of a vicious circle.
[…] of Zikula extension modules, and package them for Fedora and EPEL. During the package review, as Karsten Wade noted in a recent blog, we’ve discovered some licensing flaws that we’d like to help upstream […]
ZIKULA? It SUCKS
Run by a bunch of self announced losers who can’t even read and understand ONE SUPPORT POST (mind you – not even if you’d take this post into bits and pieces trying to additionally explain every word) hey, where did they get their degree from, was it for free, too?
Because that’s their excuse! Seem to be an open source cancer “HEY, THIS IS ALL FOR FREE AND WE (losers) WORK ALL FOR FREE, DON’T ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS …
ZIKULA PROS… why don’t you take your free crap and eat it yourself, for free!
Well, that was a load of bile, thanks. I decided to push the comment through because you were smart enough to not swear terribly or be truly vile. In other words, you are welcome to your opinion here as long as you are not rude in my house.
My experience with the Zikula team has been very different that yours, I reckon. They have been very stand-up and taking care of business. Yep, some of them also took holiday this Summer and weren’t available when we were working on our Zikula-based project. They warned us about the decrease in activity, and it’s not like we begrudge them a holiday. Perhaps that is what is happening with you? Your needs occurred when others weren’t available? I’m presuming you at least started out talking nicely, and not as you do here.
Maybe because I have given so much of my personal time for FLOSS over the years that I understand the needs, pressures, and allure of a personal life outside of serving the needs of end-users. I’m not really sure what your situation is, but I would be surprised to find you have this attitude if you are a person who actually contributes to FLOSS.
Good luck!