Gustavo, it seems that what you're saying is that the _reality_ is a bit
"boring" - a long sequence of minor releases without a
fundamental/breakthrough change; and there is a desire to make it more
interesting/exciting using a major version bump.
That is exactly what I'm opposing. Let's assume that the real situation
is "boring" (I'm not sure that's the case, but still) and that, indeed,
the changes since 7 are not fundamental enough to merit a version bump
on their own (and I realize this is not in consensus either). In this
state of affairs, evoking artificial interest in a new major version
without substance behind it is a _marketing trick_, a psychological
manipulation. One could even say it's mis-informing our users. It hurts
user trust. Sure, it's not terrible to play with version numbers, but -
I don't think that's something our users, current and potential, would
like us to do.
"I guess the message of this version could be consolidation" - but what
is consolidated about the code right now as opposed to 7.5 ?
Remember also, that as time progresses - an office suite's rate of
change decreases. It is to be expected that major versions become
farther between, and the release cycle becomes more "boring". Your
reasoning, and this fact, combine to result in major version number
inflation, which is the other thing I was cautioning about.
Eyal
On 06/04/2023 0:05, Gustavo Buzzatti Pacheco wrote:
Hi Eyal, all!
I also respectfully disagree with you on some points. ;D
I like the idea to move to 8, even with no big technical innovation
(if we have, for sure it will be better).
IMHO, long sequences of minor releases (7.6, in the current case) are
getting boring and not important for the users (for both enterprise and
individual profiles).
I'm not saying that we should embrace the Firefox approach, but
thinking about Italo's idea (8 <-> infinite), I guess the message of
this version could be consolidation, not exactly innovation.
Best
Gustavo
On Tue, Mar 28, 2023 at 4:23 AM Eyal Rozenberg <eyalroz1@xxxxxxx
<mailto:eyalroz1@xxxxxxx>> wrote:
I respectfully disagree with Italo.
First, about the "frame of reference". In my opinion, decisions such as
major version number bumping are not, first and foremost, marketing
decisions. That is a _consideration_, since the version number is
declarative than technical. But - such an action should be "truthful"
before being "marketable".
It is more important, in my opinion, that users and potential users
receive trustworthy signaling from the project - not just w.r.t.
version
numbers, but generally - than for the media to get a gimmick for
coverage.
A second point is that bumping a version number without a major
innovation moves you a few more steps into the category of, say,
Firefox
and such, where versions just increase automatically with no meaning
whatsoever. Italo, you said we are perceived as a "real innovator";
well, when a real innovator starts having hollow version number
bumping,
that perception fades.
Finally, everyone who likes the marketing potential of version 8 -
great, but - keep that benefit for when we have a significant step
forward to celebrate. Don't squander it.
Eyal
PS: availability on a new platform is not a reason to bump a version
number. It's the "same" software, but built for another target, so same
version as before. IMHO anyway.
On 27/03/2023 20:11, Italo Vignoli wrote:
> Moving to LibreOffice 8 (instead of 7.6) makes sense for marketing
> purposes, as media is looking at LibreOffice as the real
innovator in
> the open source office suite market, and the feeling of
journalists is
> that we are forever stuck at 7.x.
>
> We all know that the next version will not include any significant
> innovation which can justify the change of version, apart from
the new
> build system for Windows and the availability of LibreOffice for Arm
> processors on Windows (which has not been announced).
>
> Playing with the number 8, which can be rotated 90° to become the
> "infinite" symbol, we can frame the next version as LibreOffice
for an
> infinite number of users, as we cover all hardware platforms and all
> operating systems for personal productivity.
>
> This is my opinion. If the community wants to stick with 7.6, I
won't
> insist. I have received enough insults both public and private
for the
> marketing plan, and I am still receiving them from a few people,
that I
> am not willing to enter into that process again (even if the
decision on
> the "community" tag has not been mine, but it looks like people
have a
> very short memory).
>
> Looking forward to your thoughts.
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