new mailing list: lilypond-syntax-explorations

[Graham Percival]

For the past 6 days, we've performed an experiment: can we have a
productive free-form discussion of syntax changes on
lilypond-devel?  I think the results are fairly clear: the answer
is "no".

Our previous anonymous developer survey showed that mailing list
civility is a major concern for some developers, and I am aware of
other cases where arguments on the mailing list caused developers
to reduce or even eliminate their volunteer work on lilypond.  In
the past week, at least one person has commented that this has
discouraged him from working on LilyPond.  I'll add my voice to
that: after Waltrop, I was feeling extremely enthusiastic about
our developer community and working on LilyPond.  That enthusiasm
is now almost completely gone.

It's time to stop this disaster.


On Thursday, I will create a new mailing list, with the tentative
name "lilypond-syntax-explorations".  Alternate name suggestions
are welcome.

The goal of that list is to have a civil, open discussion about
possible modifications to the lilypond syntax.  I am using the
word "syntax" to refer to "anything inside a .ly file".  If that
name is inaccurate, then I will happily rename the list to
"lilypond-language-explorations" or
"lilypond-stuff-that-goes-inside-a-ly-file-explorations".

The upmost goal of that list will be mutual respect and a positive
discussion.  We will not say that any idea is stupid, nor that the
person suggesting it is not worthy of airing their ideas in
public.  I hope that the list will operate in a manner somewhat
similar to improv theater -- we will work with any idea, rejecting
nothing, trying to see how it could work.
(I have not forgotten about Valentin's syntax list, but I want
this to have the "official" seal of a gnu.org mailing list)


If any discussion on lilypond-syntax-explorations leads to a
particularly nice idea (ideally one with broad support on that
mailing list), then I will champion it on lilypond-devel.  When an
idea comes to -devel, people can be as nasty as they want.  I have
not enjoyed the discussion from the past few days, but I would
rather be the target of nastiness than anybody else.  I will
recommend that readers of lilypond-syntax-explorations do not read
that email thread on -devel.

If/when the proposal is nuked, I will take the complaints (if
necessary, rewritten to be polite) back to
lilypond-syntax-explorations for a constructive discussion about
whether the proposal can be resurrected and modified.
(if somebody on lilypond-syntax-explorations would like to
champion their idea to -devel personally, I won't object as long
as they know the danger)

NB: nothing in the above is intended to stop David from doing his
usual parser stuff.  He is of course free to submit patches to the
parser and have the normal arguments on -devel.

- Graham