I can’t remember the last time I made a New Year’s resolution. What does a new date really matter to changing patterns? Usually there needs to be a more effective driving factor to get me to change my ways. But to my surprise, this year I ended up coming back to work on January 3rd with two new goals. This may have had more to do with the effects of the much-needed holiday vacation than with the beginning of a new year. But whatever the cause, I ended up with two goals. First, and not related to the Mozilla project, to find time to get back to trampoline lessons. The trampoline is both great fun and good exercise. I gave it up when the Mozilla Foundation was formed and the demands on my time got out of control.
Second, and definitely related to the Mozilla project, is the desire to describe publicly much more of what I am doing and thinking about. This must be a result of a vacation, because usually the idea of writing more is enough to make me want to hide. When I write things, it usually relates to people, or different perspectives. It rarely relates to something inanimate like code. The closest thing to code I’m involved in is the drafting and analysis of open source licenses. And that is definitely a topic where a careful approach and measured words are important. Usually I’m thinking about relationships, how different groups might work together, how to solve organizational problems, and now the set of things necessary to keep the Mozilla Foundation healthy. This ranges from employment issues to intellectual property to financial sustainability. All of these are topics where more communication would benefit the Mozilla project. But all are topics where other people, their goals, and often their constraints and limitations, are involved. I am cautious about dissecting people in public and so describing this work gracefully is hard.
But I must feel rested, because I have the urge to try anyway. There’s a lot going on that won’t show up in code but that would benefit from a public discussion. So I’m going to try. Maybe once I’ve blogged even a fraction as much as Asa does I’ll be able to jot off quick but intelligible notes and things will get easier. In any case we’ll see how successful I am.