"It might be a good idea, but maybe not with the Code4Lib name. But I worry
in general we don’t collectively know enough about what makes good software
to give a Software of the Year honor reliably."
On the one hand, I agree. On the other hand, just to note, there was a
breakout session at C4L where quality issues of OSS were discussed; I wrote
up notes and communicated them to one of the breakout mods who contacted me
post-conference. Obviously, it's a beginning, but it was an excellent
conversation. I can post notes here -- I wasn't sure what to do with them.
I originally had Jonathan's response when Eric raised the idea (it was the
genesis of the breakout session, actually). I wonder if there aren't a
couple of awards: one for new ideas, one for projects sustained past a
certain point. There are interesting, important, cool ideas, and then
there's the stuff that survives the long hard slog--which is where a lot of
quality issues show up.
I also disagree on the whole issue of forcing nominees to select the next
award. Could be a way of taking a project out of the running indefinitely!
Plus the library OSS community is incestuous enough without having competing
projects voting on one another. (Though, an interesting problem: if we
recuse people involved in projects, does that leave assessment largely to
folks unfamiliar w/ OSS?)
--
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