(I posted this idea on the Test Releases page, but I thought I'd formalize it in a post.)
There are so many applications that seem to have ceased development or have disappeared from the PA.c landscape that are sitting on the Test Releases page. Some of the applications that seem to have gone kablooey still seem like they would be valuable to be continued, or have people who would like to see them continued. I have also seen some applications where the original developers don't have the time to (or want to put the effort into) maintaining and updating releases.
So my proposal is this: a separate "trade" forum should be created under "Development" where original application maintainers can post their request for someone to take over development or maintenance of their application. If an application is picked up by someone, the topic name could be changed from "AppNamePortable" to "[Traded] AppNamePortable".
From the side of the PA.c website, would it be technically feasible to create a separate forum under "Development" for the purposes of posting application "trades"? And would there be a moderator or two that would be willing to watch this forum for spam and misuse?
From the side of the PA.c users/developers, would it be used appropriately for only posting application "trades", or would it devolve into something that would be unmanageable by moderators? Also, would it be considered appropriate to trade someone else's application if it is clear they have not been in the community for a sufficient amount of time (say 1.5 to 2 years)?
I appreciate any comments on this, and I hope to see an intelligent discussion about this below.
(Note to mods: If this idea is unfeasible, then feel free to remove this topic. This is just an idea from my part.)
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If you really want to take over a seemingly dead app, why not just ask in the thread?
As an added measure, do a bit of research as to how long it has been since the dev last posted. Obviously if they haven't been seen in quite a while, it would be safe to take over.
That would take care of "vetting someone else's app" at least. My idea is more along the lines of the original developer posting requesting that someone else take their app over.
Lots of time just because an app does not appear to have activity it does not always mean that the app is dead.....users often do not comment.....some programs do not have regular updates....always good idea to ask first give it some time etc
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” Dr. Seuss
It doesn't need to be another forum. You should ask in the existing thread since even if they are not here, they may still be subscribed to email notifications. We were kicking around the idea of asking and then waiting a certain amount of time before taking it over. I think we'd said 2 weeks was sufficient.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!