GitHub Discussions for Perl

[rwp0]

We already have a Wiki here in Perl GH space, why not enable Discussions too?

I know there's perl5-ports and other mailing lists, but why it can't exist in addition to them?

Please enable this feature as well, so many newcomers like me can enjoy perusing and conversing Perl topics right next to the code (perhaps with cross-references 🙂) using the convenience of GitHub.

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Reddit thread

• https://www.reddit.com/r/perl/comments/16gq0xp/github_discussions_for_perl/

[Leont]

Please enable this feature as well, so many newcomers like me can enjoy perusing and conversing Perl topics right next to the code (perhaps with cross-references slightly_smiling_face) using the convenience of GitHub.

Why would we want to have that here? How would this help the development of of perl?

[rwp0]

Please enable this feature as well, so many newcomers like me can enjoy perusing and conversing Perl topics right next to the code (perhaps with cross-references slightly_smiling_face) using the convenience of GitHub.

Why would we want to have that here? How would this help the development of of perl?

Ok but where else to put this request since it's about GitHub?

It helps by extending and enhancing the usage of the GitHub platform.

[gugod]

How would this help the development of of perl?

Although I couldn't say by how much, for the following purposes, Github Discussion is likely a better alternative to perl5-porters (the mailing list):

1. accepting general inquires (alt to stackoverflow)
2. making it mentally easier for people who had never participate before to start participating perl project. By impression, "Discussion" seems to be less serious than "Issues".
3. a place for perl5 porters (the people) to respond to questions and be welcoming to new people

Hopefully it could serve people who are generally outside the realm of perl5-porters a little bit better. These days many people are just not into email mailing lists anymore...

my 2c.

[rwp0]

How would this help the development of of perl?

Although I couldn't say by how much, for the following purposes, Github Discussion is likely a better alternative to perl5-porters (the mailing list):

1. accepting general inquires (alt to stackoverflow)
2. making it mentally easier for people who had never participate before to start participating perl project. By impression, "Discussion" seems to be less serious than "Issues".
3. a place for perl5 porters (the people) to respond to questions and be welcoming to new people

Hopefully it could serve people who are generally outside the realm of perl5-porters a little bit better. These days many people are just not into email mailing lists anymore...

my 2c.

Thanks, I completely agree.

Mailing lists, their archives, and the NNTP articles nowadays feel like a hidden place unaccessible by the inexperienced users where the mystery behind Perl happens 😋

Without such efforts, we can't expect much new language contributors to appear, and the wider involvement in the language development discussions.

Of course, these traditional media can still remain primary, exist in parallel to the Discussions, or even be integrated with it somehow if possible (as with email and GH PR and Issues: since some comments there come by emailing without opening GitHub).

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Another related issue is the GitHub Wiki, it's there but not much used (as a wiki), because very few people have write access to it.

[oalders]

It would be an interesting experiment to turn on discussions and see how they get used (if at all). It can always be disabled if the outcome is not an improvement.

[rwp0]

improvement

Great idea, but it will need some time for people to notice the availability threof.

[Leont]

How would this help the development of of perl?

Although I couldn't say by how much, for the following purposes, Github Discussion is likely a better alternative to perl5-porters (the mailing list):

1. accepting general inquires (alt to stackoverflow)

What kind of enquiries?

2. making it mentally easier for people who had never participate before to start participating perl project. By impression, "Discussion" seems to be less serious than "Issues".

Maybe, but I'm not sure splitting discussions over more places really makes the situation better.

3. a place for perl5 porters (the people) to respond to questions and be welcoming to new people

Who will do that?

[gugod]

How would this help the development of of perl?

Although I couldn't say by how much, for the following purposes, Github Discussion is likely a better alternative to perl5-porters (the mailing list):

1. accepting general inquires (alt to stackoverflow)

What kind of enquiries?

I could think of a few examples:

1. When do we need to call sv_2mortals and why isn't there sv_2immortls ? (or: what does this interesting thing in perl5.git mean)
2. perldoc POSIX tell me to use END instead of atexit, how do I add an END block but make it only run on a forked child process ? (or: How to use this core function / module to make it do the thing I want)
3. I wish to add a new entry to perlfaq, who should I be talking to for this matter ? (or, how do I navigate myself in this "office environment" before I get to know anyone at all)
4. I've made a draft PR with new changes mostly working, but I'm figuring out this difficult part that could use some insight from experienced hands (or, asking for code reviews)

( I'm actually interested in the 2nd question)

2. making it mentally easier for people who had never participate before to start participating perl project. By impression, "Discussion" seems to be less serious than "Issues".

Maybe, but I'm not sure splitting discussions over more places really makes the situation better.

Right, I too, am not sure that it will be better. It just could be, or not. I'm guessing that Discussion could diverse the kind of comments we have in this repo and ingest the ones that's different than the ones in Issues and slowly attract new people (people who already have some interests in this repo, but only has been lurking around). But is this potential outcome a good one for perl5.git ? I'm not sure.

There is also no prominent evidence saying that developers will just know where to categorize their posts. I've enabled Discussions on perlbrew repo, but Issues still gets most of the posts, even for topics that do not seems to be perlbrew issues in my eyes. Meanwhile, it does not gain much attention at all, so there, maybe a counter-example for this discussion (or issue). Arguably so because I've only made 1 post advertising its existence.

3. a place for perl5 porters (the people) to respond to questions and be welcoming to new people
   Who will do that?

I imagine that people who already spending their time making comments in Issues might be willing to spare a little bit of their time monitoring Discussions. Of course I'm not amending new responsibility to anyone (don't even want to do that to myself) -- this is all volunteer work after all.

[mauke]

2. perldoc POSIX tell me to use END instead of atexit, how do I add an END block but make it only run on a forked child process ? (or: How to use this core function / module to make it do the thing I want)

( I'm actually interested in the 2nd question)

my @atexit_handlers;
END {
    local $@;
    for my $fun (reverse splice @atexit_handlers) {
        eval { $fun->(); 1 } or warn $@;
    }
}
sub atexit($fun) {
    push @atexit_handlers, $fun;
}

Something like this should arguably be in POSIX.pm.

[leonerd]

1. When do we need to call sv_2mortals and why isn't there sv_2immortls ? (or: what does this interesting thing in perl5.git mean)

That's a perfectly fine question to go on the mailing list.

3. I wish to add a new entry to perlfaq, who should I be talking to for this matter ? (or, how do I navigate myself in this "office environment" before I get to know anyone at all)

This too.

4. I've made a draft PR with new changes mostly working, but I'm figuring out this difficult part that could use some insight from experienced hands (or, asking for code reviews)

This too.

These would all be great questions on perl5-porters@

[rwp0]

1. When do we need to call sv_2mortals and why isn't there sv_2immortls ? (or: what does this interesting thing in perl5.git mean)

That's a perfectly fine question to go on the mailing list.

3. I wish to add a new entry to perlfaq, who should I be talking to for this matter ? (or, how do I navigate myself in this "office environment" before I get to know anyone at all)

This too.

4. I've made a draft PR with new changes mostly working, but I'm figuring out this difficult part that could use some insight from experienced hands (or, asking for code reviews)

This too.

These would all be great questions on perl5-porters@

Those discussion made in the mailing lists are usually lost for many after they are made (usually with very few correspondents participating who are very rarely born in 90's and 00's), but GitHub Discussions is open, accessible, convenient (more than the archives), and moreover editable.

Besides there's no markdown, cross-linking with previews etc in such a plaintext environment.

GitHub as a single platform for all things Perl also makes it easy for the brain to go to when needed rather than chasing so many custom-made Perl websites and third-parties such as Reddit and Topicbox.

Also it's more social where one can track developer's profiles and work.

[Leont]

GitHub Discussions is open