Netiquette question: announcing open source projects

[Alessio Stalla]

Hello,

I rarely see here announcements of new open source projects or new
releases of existing libraries or frameworks; is it considered bad
taste to promote your open source efforts here? Or is it just that the
Java ecosystem is mature enough that few noteworthy projects start up,
while existing ones are big enough to have their own information
channels and forums?

I am asking, of course, because I'd like to make such an announcement,
but I don't want it to be considered spam.

Regards,
Alessio

 

[Lew]

Don't cross post and keep multi-posting to an absolute minimum.

You mean don't multi-post and keep cross-posting to a minimum.

 

[Andreas Leitgeb]

You mean don't multi-post and keep cross-posting to a minimum.

I expected such a contradiction. Both cross- and multi-posting
have their pros and cons.

I for myself do not post to groups that I'm not also watching, so
if I followup, I either trim the newsgroups list, or just refrain
from following up in the first place (especially, if a followup-to
header doesn't happen to point to "my" group, anyway).

Unlike Lew, I do not see all that much value in a discussion shared
among multiple groups, and a multipost (of about 10kB of text) in a
couple of relevant groups doesn't really clog up servers, either. By
far not as much, as the complaints of those people who, out of their
decision of watching two related groups, insist on seeing only one
thread. Imho, the responses from one group are all-too-often quite
irrelevant to the other groups. If the groups didn't have a different
focus, they should have been merged in the first place.

PS: The very best, of course, would be to pick just *one* group
that is most likely to be watched by the relevant audience.

 

[Lew]

Unlike Lew, I do not see all that much value in a discussion shared
among multiple groups, and a multipost (of about 10kB of text) in a

For the record, I don't see any value in it, really; I'm down on both
cross- and multi-posting. But in my years on Usenet I've repeatedly
encountered enjoinders not to multi-post, and to use cross-posting in
the event one wants to reach more than one group. I was merely
relaying the advice as I've seen in a preponderance of newsgroups.

couple of relevant groups doesn't really clog up servers, either. By

Clogging up servers is of less than no concern. What concerns me is
clogging up my experience of Usenet. Cross-posts and multi-posts
diminish my experience.

I have suggested to posters to avoid cross-posting, and to utterly
shun multi-posting. Some have chosen to disregard the advice and
continue to cross-post. I stop answering those folks after giving
them a second shot at the advice.

Perhaps they don't miss my advice, but they should. It's good stuff.
And all they have to do to benefit from it is to stop cross-posting.

far not as much, as the complaints of those people who, out of their
decision of watching two related groups, insist on seeing only one
thread.  Imho, the responses from one group are all-too-often quite
irrelevant to the other groups.  If the groups didn't have a different
focus, they should have been merged in the first place.

PS: The very best, of course, would be to pick just *one* group
  that is most likely to be watched by the relevant audience.

Amen.

 

[Tom Anderson]

I rarely see here announcements of new open source projects or new
releases of existing libraries or frameworks; is it considered bad taste
to promote your open source efforts here? Or is it just that the Java
ecosystem is mature enough that few noteworthy projects start up, while
existing ones are big enough to have their own information channels and
forums?

I think it's absolutely fine to post announcements here.

I think people don't post announcements here because nobody things cljp is
important. We're basically the java industry equivalent of a gang of
tramps gathered round a fire in an oildrum under an elevated motorway.

I also think it's absolutely fine for people to respond to anouncements
posted here, and observe that this may involve questions, criticism, and
sarcasm. But then, you know cljp, so you know that.

tom

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

I rarely see here announcements of new open source projects or new
releases of existing libraries or frameworks; is it considered bad
taste to promote your open source efforts here? Or is it just that the
Java ecosystem is mature enough that few noteworthy projects start up,
while existing ones are big enough to have their own information
channels and forums?

I am asking, of course, because I'd like to make such an announcement,
but I don't want it to be considered spam.

It is not necessarily spam, but it could be.

Use your common sense and consider how relevant it is for the
audience.

"Well known framework XYZ has been update from 1.2.3.4.5 to 1.2.3.4.6"
is probably not so big a change that it is relevant to post.

"I have created this open source program that can add to numbers"
is not interesting for anybody.

"I have created this new ORM library that I think is great" is
fine (at least if not posted every month).

Arne

 

[Arved Sandstrom]

I rarely see here announcements of new open source projects or new
releases of existing libraries or frameworks; is it considered bad
taste to promote your open source efforts here? Or is it just that
the Java ecosystem is mature enough that few noteworthy projects
start up, while existing ones are big enough to have their own
information channels and forums?

I think it's absolutely fine to post announcements here.

I think people don't post announcements here because nobody things
cljp is important. We're basically the java industry equivalent of a
gang of tramps gathered round a fire in an oildrum under an elevated
motorway. [ SNIP ]

tom

Nice turn of phrase; I've often thought just that without coming up with
quite that nice of a mental picture for it.

I don't know if I could accurately identify most of the top Java forums,
although the ones that I can think of could also be classified with similar
analogies. The Big Moose Saloon (JavaRanch aka Java Forums at TBMS), The
ServerSide, Java Technology forums on IBM, OTN and Oracle Forums (which also
sucked in Sun forums now), Java Help on DevShed, Java programming on
CodeGuru, Java threads on Stack Overflow, java.net forums, etc etc. are ones
that I figure anyone in the Java biz has stumbled across more or less
frequently.

More to the point, none of them immediately spring to mind if I wanted to
make an announcement of a new project. And I doubt comp.lang.java.announce
is avidly followed by the majority of the Java community.

AHS

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

More to the point, none of them immediately spring to mind if I wanted to
make an announcement of a new project. And I doubt comp.lang.java.announce
is avidly followed by the majority of the Java community.

I thought that group were closed!?

Arne

 

[Mike Schilling]

I thought that group were closed!?

Was it? Let me look in ...

D'oh!

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

Was it? Let me look in ...

D'oh!

As far as I can see, then nothing since the post March 19th
with the subject "RESULT: comp.lang.java.announce will be removed".

Arne

 

[Mike Schilling]

As far as I can see, then nothing since the post March 19th
with the subject "RESULT: comp.lang.java.announce will be removed".

I can't even see that, as it's dropped off my server.

 

[Arne Vajhøj]

I can't even see that, as it's dropped off my server.

There is always GG!

Arne