ManagingCreativity
Pycon UK, Sept 2007

Michael SparksKamaelia ProjectBBC Research

Conflicting needs

Research

Don't know what the problem is

Don't know the solution

Don't know suitable approach

Unknown requirements

Production

Know the problem inside out

Have a solution which must be reliable

Approach is known and engineered

Requirements clear, but with scope for growth

Research

Don't know what the problem is

Don't know the solution

Don't know suitable approach

Unknown requirements

Production

Know the problem inside out

Have a solution which must be reliable

Approach is known and engineered

Requirements clear, but with scope for growth

Conflicting needs

How to go fromhere to here?

Research

Don't know what the problem is

Don't know the solution

Don't know suitable approach

Unknown requirements

Production

Know the problem inside out

Have a solution which must be reliable

Approach is known and engineered

Requirements clear, but with scope for growth

Conflicting needs

More like this!

Process

Have an idea

Build something to see if idea is good

Review & build systems using it it is a good idea

Make possible to use in production system

Make production quality

Exploration is very different from polishing

hackers&painters vs CS

Hackers & Painters essentially postulates that coding is like painting

Computer Science essentially postulates that coding is like engineering with solid foundations we can follow sound rules & constraints

Both are right even though in conflict

Huh?

Building a Building

Sketch a design

Collect system requirements

Build models

Refine

Architect building based on physical stresses etc

Refine

Build

Both engineered & crafted

Key Trick Code as Wiki

In python terms:

Namespaces are one honking great idea

-- let's do more of those! -- import this

Or wiki terms:

Enlarge Space - In order to preserve GlobalResources, create more public space. This reduces limited resource tension. Unlike the RealWorld, land is cheap online.

Core Approach

Encourage play - capture results (sketchbooks)

Encourage system building, component extraction

Reuse & refine components

Make testable

Reimplement as TDD potentially formalise tests as formal spec

Version control as core enabler

Core Feature Flow

Idea & Initial System

/trunk/Sketches/

Componentisation & Systems

/branches/private__Scratch (sometimes)

Reuse & Candidate for main tree

/branches/private__anything

Merge into Main Tree

/trunk/Code

Feature Consolidation

Testable

/trunk/Code//Example/

/trunk/Code//Tests/test_.py

TDD

/branches/private__FeatureRewrite

Merge

/branches/private__FeatureRewrite

Feature Future Proofing

Tests as formal spec

/trunk/Tests/Python//test_....

eg /trunk/Tests/Python/Axon/test_*

Feature Extension

Idea

/trunk/Sketches/

Componentisation & Systems

/branches/private__Scratch (sometimes)

Reuse & Candidate for main tree

/branches/private__anything

Merge into Main Tree

/trunk/Code

Alternative View

Idea

Shared Sketchbooks

Componentisation & Systems

Visible integration & demo of use

Reuse & Candidate for main tree

I'm handing this off for review

Merge into Main Tree

Release to general user base

Alternative View

Idea

Shared Sketchbooks

Componentisation & Systems

Visible integration & demo of use

Reuse & Candidate for main tree

I'm handing this off for review

Merge into Main Tree

Release to general user base

Can usecode foridea at allstages ofdevelopment

Shared
Sketchbooks
/Sketches

Shared Sketchbooks: /Sketches

/Sketches/MPS this is mine, I can do what I like there.

Does not have to work

Can be imperfect

Everyone else can see it

eg

/Sketches/MPS/Systems/Paint

Shared Sketchbooks: /Sketches

/Sketches/MH this is Matt's, he can do what he likes there.

Does not have to work, can be imperfect, etc

Can copy other people's sketches & extend

eg

/Sketches/MH/Sketcher

Shared Sketchbooks: /Sketches

Can also play with new ideas

Handwriting recognition

3D Page turning

a record for me PVR

GestureRecognition/StrokeRecogniser.py , OpenGL/3fFolding.py, DVB_PSI/PVR.py

Shared Sketchbooks: /Sketches

Same goes for anyone else

Trainee engineers

Summer of code students

Anyone else (you?)

Can get feedback much sooner, and do fast diffs

What's there?

Video annotating whiteboard, P2P swarming radio, IRC clients, pygame experiments, topology visualisation, paint programs, a multicast toolset, shedskin (python to C++) compatible micro-axon, simple reliable multicast experiments, sub-component level experiments, new tools for integration outside kamaelia, networked audio mixer matrix, record everything tv experiments, seaside-like HTTP server, random experiments, tools for multicast of DVB & playback, networking of pipes distribution, gesture (and basic handwriting) recognition, custom PVRs, mobile reframers, 3D video playback, PVR content viewer for mobiles, trusted communications experiments, speex tools, Icecast clients, subtitling tickers, libao tests, early 3D work, bittorrent integration work, DVB tools, weather scraping etc

Visible
Integration

Visible Integration

/branches/private__Scratch

Personal version of trunk may or may not actually be shared.

Benefits of sharing

Not at the whims of a merger to use new namespaces

Don't corrupt others

Provide mechanism to demo is OK

Visible Integration

As you go through this process more detail may emerge, and become clearer making more generally useful better case for mainline merge

Hand off
branches

Hand off branches

Always named

/branches/private__feature

Never merged to /trunk by their creator, unless agreed by all admins encourage review & feedback.

Main Code Tree: /Code

Code only reaches main code tree if:

Has proved itself useful in /Sketches

Merge onto pseudo trunk works well

Passes code review

Key points

Always have permission to create new branches named appropriately

Always have permission to check in new code

Force of gravity approach to consolidation

Clear & simple code migration rules

Version control as a tool to support process management tool

Key points

Encourages play, encourages innovation, but in a manageable way, that also encourages development of an engineered usable system

Really about who owns a namespace

michael.sparks@bbc.co.uk