tz1 summed up my thoughts on the entry requirements to the "maemo program". It's bloody hard to make debs that work, and hard to get a website up and running on the official pages


Well - ok - maybe not hard - but I don't get it!

Back to the software development analogy - you usually get tiers of people in every dev company. The programmers are just that - programmers. They're given a set of tools, a source control package, rights to build the application on their local PCs, and that's the end of that.

Then you have the admin team - these people sort the source control repos, make sure everything works effectively, they also handle the centralised builds from the source repos and make sure dependancies are all met. They deal with compiling the test builds and releasing them to Joe Public for feedback. They deal with releasing final builds for Joe Public.

Then the QA guys who deal with alpha-testing. They can also compile builds from the source-repos. They also deal with replicating feedback from Joe Public and sending it out to the dev teams.

Behind the dev team and admin team you have the artists - they handle all aspects of web development, any window/dialog box layouts, icons, splashscreens, all assets, etc.

Joe Public deal with beta testing - and provide adequate feedback.

I won't talk about management and sales


That's what's gone on in the few companies that I've worked for. Of course - all of this is different in the OSS world - but why should it be? It may just be that we (devs) just need a succint how-to (step-by-step) on configuring a dev environment that syncs with maemo-garage; and a series of standard template pages to give wiki-like features there. But deep down I feel what's needed is the age old Sesame Street Adage of "co-operation" with those whose experience and knowledge is best suited for the task.