I had brought up a discussion in python-committers list (Discussion, Summary) for a core-dev only chat.
Proposal
Have Private Committers only chat channel. It might be similar to #committers category here, or the python-committers mailing list. Given the chat platform nature, it will be a social, informal team-only discussion channel. It is more for effervescent communication medium.
Process
Based on the discussions and voting, if we end up with a consensus. I will make a formal proposal
to the steering council to make a decision, including request for changes, on this topic.
Do we need a core-dev only chat?
No. Let’s not do anything new. The status quo seems fine.
Yes, let’s experiment with something suitable like Discord/IRC/Slack/Gitter
0voters
If we decide to experiment with a new solution, what would your choice?
A Discord server
Gitter
IRC channel other than #python-dev
Slack
Microsoft Teams
I don’t have a strong preference. I will use whatever rest of core-dev community will use as long as I can use it is on my platform or web.
0voters
Few Notes
Aim is not disrupt existing systems or add yet another communication channel. Channels in use like #python-dev or pyslackers or Python Discord server will continue to exist and serve it’s purpose.
The use of zulip is always an option, however it is extremely inactive. I believe the answer choice, “let’s not do anything new” captures the choice if we don’t want to anything new and zulip can used. The usage of zulip or sunset of zulip wont be a focus of this poll.
I’m saddened to not see Zulip included as an option. I personally love its threading model and interface, and it’s a leading open-source alternative which actively supports open-source projects.
I think it would be reasonable to include Zulip because the way we would be using it would change. Having a completely private Zulip instance (no newcomers/non core devs “popping in with questions”) and explicitly making it a social platform rather than a technical one, could make for a very different experience than the previous attempt to use it.
I agree with Tal and particularly with Paul about considering a Zulip instance for core-dev use only - just as some Discord adherents don’t want to use the all-comers Python Discord, a Zulip instance with only core-dev conversations might feel different/work differently to the existing one.
The main objection to Zulip seems to be that an extra step is needed to start a conversation, do I have that right? According to Zulip’s “Getting started” guide,
When starting a new conversation, remember to start a new topic. Don’t overthink it; the first 2-3 words that come to your mind are probably fine. Using topics may take some attention at the beginning, but after a few days of using Zulip it will feel like second nature.
I’ve participated more as a responder in conversations than started them (wouldn’t that be true for most people?), so I can’t say it’s been a particular problem for me in practice. If discussions are likely to go beyond the social, a better structure for threading seems useful to have. If it’s more ephemeral stuff, of course that matters less. Maybe have a pre-created ephemeral topic that people can respond to?
I will of course use whatever the consensus ends up being
FYI, I created a Discord server and did some basic setup. We need some more admins as well as get invites to the right people, so if anyone still wants to volunteer for that, let me know.
