[SSC] A suggestion

[Joss Winn]

I'd like to make a suggestion about the deadlines we've been giving
ourselves. They've largely been around the desire to begin classes in
the next 'academic year', which starts at the end of September for most
people in HE.

I'm increasingly feeling like this is a goal we might not meet if we are
to attract a sufficient number of teachers to support up to 20 students.
In order to attract a decent membership, we need to send out the
invitation letter that we've written and contact the press, etc. Prior
to doing this, we need to have a bank account in place and in order to
do this, we need a statement of principles to add to the Business Model.
Following all of this, we need to attract students, hold an open day and
develop curricula - all in four months.

Everyone I know who is regularly involved with establishing the SSC has
a great deal of energy and enthusiasm for it, but not always a
corresponding amount of time, myself included. It would make it a lot
easier for me, and perhaps others??, if we dropped the deadline and said
that we'll open our doors "when we're ready".  There's a saying in the
development of open source (community built) software that the software
will be ready when it's ready, recognising that the development of the
software is reliant on a number of volunteer contributors who want to
get it right and who cannot work on the project full-time. It's the same
with the development of the SSC, I think and it's important that we
don't burn ourselves out, too.

Once everything is in place, then we need to set a timetable over the
course of the year - we all need regularity in our lives, not least when
we're working and studying together - but until then, how about we say
that the SSC "will be ready when it's ready" and if we open later in the
year, that's fine.

Joss