User:Rob.sjodin

Rob Sjodin. Rob Sjodin is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Master's in Science of Software Engineering degree at Regis University. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate software engineering courses, including ...

Java Software Development

Advanced Java Software Development

Enterprise Java Software Development

Advanced Enterprise Software Development

Android Software Development

Enterprise Android Software Development

Mr. Sjodin has 30+ years of industry experience, including 15 years in the aerospace sector where he developed software for earth-orbiting satellites.

"Part 1 - Walk through of IRC Conversation":

How do people interact?

Answer: People interact asynchronously: someone will pose a question or state an opinion, and then others will respond accordingly.

What is the pattern of communication? Is it linear or branched? Formal or informal? One-to-many, one-to-one or a mix?

Answer: all of the above. But typically a topic is introduced/started, and then discussion (comments, questions, answers) are focused on that topic.

Are there any terms that seem to have special meaning?

Answer: Yes, #topic #info #action

Can you make any other observations?

Answer: It stimulates collaboration and camaraderie.

"Part 3 – Join and Observe Channel Discussion"

Summarize your observations (of your selected HFOSS project "foss2serve").

Answer: In general, the interaction is very slow; there can be hours w/o any dialogue.

Other questions: What advantages might IRC have over other real-time communication methods (like Google Chat or Facebook Messenger?) Are there potential disadvantages?

Answer: the participants are only those who have an interest in the particular topic.

For what purposes do FOSS projects use IRC channels?

Answer: Collaboration, share ideas, identify/resolve issues.

Why choose IRC over another synchronous collaboration method (like a conference call)?

Answer: It's asynchronous ... it doesn't require a specific, coordinated time for all people to meet.

How can IRC be used to facilitate project management?

Answer: To share ideas among project members, get consensus on tasks/priorities, and coordinate efforts.

In your own words, explain how to find a channel and join it for whichever IRC client you prefer.

Answer: In Colloquy, I join a server (irc.freenode.net) and then specify a particular channel (foss2serve).