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Reply-To: <dennis.hamilton@acm.org>
From: "Dennis E. Hamilton" <dennis.hamilton@acm.org>
To: <dev@openoffice.apache.org>
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Subject: RE: Profile.c bugs (was RE: Some thoughts on the learning curve)
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2016 11:11:54 -0800
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Patricia,

I do not want to discourage scratching an itch that is important to you.

I do need to express my concern for the limited capacity that we have =
for development work, and I have done that.  Everyone is a volunteer, =
and at the end of the day we will have whatever we have.

Enough said.  I admire your work and enjoy very much our dance through =
the profile.c threading issues, and also the Windows build setup, if the =
opportunity returns.=20

 - Dennis

Side comments:

Starting with the least that can possibly work is an important principle =
for software maintenance, where the greatest fear is a hopeless =
regression or, worse for open-source especially, an incomplete effort =
for which the prize is not attained.

It does not mean that major architecture and feature matters cannot also =
be addressed.  But the users won't wait forever to have their bad =
experiences cured and timely interim solutions (and workarounds) are =
important.

In my youth, I took the reverse approach a few times.  It did not go =
well.  I am very incremental and iterative in approaches now, even with =
what can grow into large efforts.  Working with a monster existing code =
base which may have some significant bit rot is another story.  Heroism =
won't carry the day.  I am striving to not be too discouraged about =
that.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Patricia Shanahan [mailto:pats@acm.org]
> Sent: Friday, March 4, 2016 10:25
> To: dev@openoffice.apache.org
> Subject: Re: Profile.c bugs (was RE: Some thoughts on the learning
> curve)
>=20
> On 3/4/2016 9:39 AM, Dennis E. Hamilton wrote:
> > Patricia,
> >
> > Based on Damjan's finding that profile files are read by the
> > application and that some are created during setup, with others
> > copied in from the setup, it is settled that the code is used in
> > current distributions and is also available to extensions.
> >
> > I recommend that we catch our breath over the weekend, take a fresh
> > look at what we know, and then make that smallest repair that will
> > work.
> ...
> >
> > I would defer any extensive threading analysis and work on more
> > pressing maintenance issues first, especially since the UDK is
> > snarled up in this.  It's worthwhile but other priorities deserve =
our
> > attention.
>=20
>  From my point of view there are benefits to me continuing to work on
> threading analysis.
>=20
> Threading leverages my existing expertise in =
multiprocessor/multithread
> issues, and therefore might be a good general area for me to work on.
>=20
> I find it very, very difficult to study a large system in the =
abstract.
> I need a question I can get my teeth into to inspire reading, grep, =
etc.
> Learning my way around AOO is key to me becoming productive on it. =
"Why
> is the 'unx' code bristling with pthread_mutex calls but the 'w32'
> version does not seem to have anything similar?" is just the right =
sort
> of question to hold my attention. Maybe the 'w32' version needs
> synchronization it lacks. Maybe it has a simpler way of controlling
> access to the profile that could be copied for 'unx'. I want to know,
> and finding out will lead to me learning how AOO works.
>=20
> I am wary of the "smallest repair" strategy. It tends to avoid ever
> throwing anything out, leading to clutter, and ultimately
> unmaintainability.
>=20
> Patricia
>=20
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