A question of priorities...
2011-07-29, 0:58 (This post was last modified: 2011-08-07, 12:28 by Willy Tschager.)
2011-07-29, 0:58 (This post was last modified: 2011-08-07, 12:28 by Willy Tschager.)
As a user of the LDRAW system over the past 2-3 years, I've seen the official library grow substantially with the various updates. And while I'm always happy to see new parts and new updates, the happiness invariably turns to frustration when I see what hasn't been released, and what was released instead.
Take the last 2-3 updates, for example. The part developers seem to have developed an unhealthy obsession with Fabuland figures. Now, I don't have a problem with releasing older parts, but when it seems these are being prioritized over newer, useful, and more common parts, I begin to wonder. I mean those figures were used in what, 2-3 sets back in 1979? What about newer parts like 50955, 50956, 60956, and 51000 (to name a few) that have been sitting in "unofficial" limbo for who knows how long? Doesn't it seem like these parts should have a higher priority than older parts? I understand there are many different kinds of LDRAW users and we all likely have different tastes and different ideas of what parts are more important than others. However, I do have to wonder, are there really that many users out there demanding old, obscure parts over newer, more common ones?
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm the person that should be deciding these things, but I do think it's important that the discussion be had. I don't fully understand all the intricacies of the organization here, but I would assume something like this would/should fall to the steering commitee. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they the ones that set the tone and guide other developers? If they said, "We should focus on these parts" and then focused on the parts themselves, it seems likely other part developers would follow suit. Perhaps I'm off on this, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
You may be asking, "Who is this upstart punk, who's never so much as developed a 1x1 brick, nor involved himself in any way in the part-making process, to come in here questioning our decisions and processes?" And you're right, I'm nothing more than an end-user. I'm just a guy who likes building with LEGO using your software and data files. If that's not enough, then I'm sorry to have wasted your time...
Take the last 2-3 updates, for example. The part developers seem to have developed an unhealthy obsession with Fabuland figures. Now, I don't have a problem with releasing older parts, but when it seems these are being prioritized over newer, useful, and more common parts, I begin to wonder. I mean those figures were used in what, 2-3 sets back in 1979? What about newer parts like 50955, 50956, 60956, and 51000 (to name a few) that have been sitting in "unofficial" limbo for who knows how long? Doesn't it seem like these parts should have a higher priority than older parts? I understand there are many different kinds of LDRAW users and we all likely have different tastes and different ideas of what parts are more important than others. However, I do have to wonder, are there really that many users out there demanding old, obscure parts over newer, more common ones?
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I'm the person that should be deciding these things, but I do think it's important that the discussion be had. I don't fully understand all the intricacies of the organization here, but I would assume something like this would/should fall to the steering commitee. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't they the ones that set the tone and guide other developers? If they said, "We should focus on these parts" and then focused on the parts themselves, it seems likely other part developers would follow suit. Perhaps I'm off on this, so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
You may be asking, "Who is this upstart punk, who's never so much as developed a 1x1 brick, nor involved himself in any way in the part-making process, to come in here questioning our decisions and processes?" And you're right, I'm nothing more than an end-user. I'm just a guy who likes building with LEGO using your software and data files. If that's not enough, then I'm sorry to have wasted your time...
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I'm theJude! So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, his Judeness, or uh, Juder, or el Juderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.
I'm theJude! So that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, his Judeness, or uh, Juder, or el Juderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.