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"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?) -- -- | Karen G. Schneider | Community Librarian | Equinox Software Inc. "The Evergreen Experts" | Toll-free: 1.877.Open.ILS (1.877.673.6457) x712 | [log in to unmask] | Web: http://www.esilibrary.com | Be a part of the Evergreen International Conference, May 20-22, 2009! | http://www.solinet.net/evergreen