Re: [Gdbheads] Let's resolve this quickly

[Robert Dewar]

Bob Rossi wrote:

> On Fri, Mar 26, 2004 at 04:50:21PM -0800, Stan Shebs wrote:

> However, as an "outsider", I personally would have less trust in GDB SC
> just getting back a single answer over a technical issue.

I think you misunderstand the proper role of voting in a committee. It
is not an end in itself unlike in a legislature, where if you get 51-49
to support your position you have won.

There is no winning and losing in discussing technical issues. Rather
the idea is to reach a consensus by discussion. Voting is simply one
way of finding out where people are at some particular point in the
discussion.

Of course sometimes a committee cannot agree on a technical point,
but that's actually rarer than you think. Certainly for instance,
if I find myself unable to convince other people on a committee,
I assume it means my argument is wrong, and I carefully listen
to understand why people disagree.

You should not in general get back "a single answer", but instead
an answer that integrates various points of view, forged into a
coherent consensus position. So perhaps you see the various plusses
and minuses, and an outcome that prefers one position over the other
having all things considered.

> I would at
> least like to see and know who was on what side of the issue and mostly
> why they were. 

Well that's what's wrong with recording votes. It emphasizes the idea of
separate sides on an issue, rather than emphasizing the effort to come
to a mutual understanding of the issue.

> Whats the point of Free Software if technical decisions get made behind
> closed doors? I almost find that thought insulting. (no disrespect
> intended)

But the idea of a committee is precisely to close the door. We try to
resolve things by general open discussion. The time the SC has to make
a decision is when this approach of general open discussion does not
converge to a consensus. Hopefully that won't be often, but if the
SC discussions are open, then they are just a rerun of the open
discussion and won't get anywhere.

In fact if I were part of a committee that were forced to record votes
and how people voted, I would be tempted to follow procedures of always
having everyone change their vote to the final decided position :-)

> Bob Rossi
>
>
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