.. Ross Patterson's Blog imported post, created by `$ ./bin/rfc822-to-post` on Mar 15, 2021.

.. meta::
   :description: Why I'm excited to have been selected
   :keywords: Plone

.. post:: Jan 07, 2009
   :tags: Plone
   :author: Ross Patterson
   :redirect:  @@redirect-to-uuid/c2ca9d79631181b53e571d34b16634e1

######################
Plone 4 Framework Team
######################

    Why I'm excited to have been selected

The more I think about it the more excited I am to be a part
of the Plone 4 Framework Team (FWT).

I think it's fair to say that Plone is a very successful open source
project.  On that point alone, it's an honor to serve a role in the
continued success of the project.  More than that, however, Plone has
been successful for some time now.  That success lies not just in the
technology, but in the community as well, or if you prefer, the
ecosystem.

What we have, then, is success that carries with it a history and a
community that can't be abandoned without destroying that very
success.  That history and community also bring challenges with it.  I
myself find that my enjoyment of developing with Plone has kinda
plateaued largely because I continue to have to deal with the code
that is the legacy of that history.

The funny thing is that I don't find myself motivated as a crusader
*against* that history wanting to rip it out wholesale.  While this is
a no-brainer in terms of the direction Plone development needs to
take, I'm personally surprised by my motivations.  I'm no longer so
purely motivated as a developer.  I'm genuinely excited to be a part
of figuring out how to make Plone more fun and powerful for the whole
community, users, themers, integrators, and developers alike.

How do we ditch old code without alienating large portions of the
community when those portions of the community depend on their
familiarity with the old code?  How do we get developers excited about
preserving continuity when we tend to prefer moving on?  How do we
make documentation sexy enough to attract and retain rock stars?  How
can we make preserving and improving performance as prestigious as
adding new features?

I know I've changed because I can't imagine a more exciting set of
questions to tackle. So yeah, I'm stoked to be a part of the FWT as we
tackle exactly these issues in earnest.  :)


.. update:: Jan 18, 2009

   Imported from Plone on Mar 15, 2021.  The date for this update is the last
   modified date in Plone.