I have some great and some sad news. Let’s start with great news.
Great News! :)
Joel Pearson
Joel Pearson joins the team as support sheriff.
Bret Pettichord’s nomination:
I would like to nominate Joel Pearson as a support sheriff for Watir. He is active every day on the ruby-talk mailing, answering questions about testing with Ruby and frequently recommending Watir-Webdriver as a solution. (...) Here is an example of what I am talking about. http://www.ruby-forum.com/topic/4407767 Bret
Joel about himself:
Hi all, Hopefully I've done this correctly as I've previously always used forum interfaces for mailing lists. My programming experience is just over 2 years, Ruby for about 1 year. I started using Watir-Webdriver just under a year ago while trying to build an automated interface for a web-based stock system. I basically just built a few front-ends for ease of use, capable of batching repetitive tasks and analysing information. Since then I've developed some of my own wrapper classes to use within my company for reporting and bulk processing, allowing me to write customisable reports quickly from a template. I would say I'm still a novice programmer, but as I'm being paid for this work I guess I'm technically a "professional". I've made a few minor alterations to my local watir-webdriver files. The main one was adding an optional timeout length while waiting for javascript alerts. I wrote that a while ago so I could probably do it better now. I've also started work on my own gem which attempts to emulate Microsoft Excel's API as an invisible workbook class. This is to simplify manipulation of data when analysing HTML tables, and to make the transition from Excel VBA to Ruby a bit easier. It's still in the early stages of development at present. The Ruby mailing list was (and still is) a great source of helpful advice when I was starting out learning how to use Ruby and Watir; so I continue to participate in the hopes of giving something back to the community in return for all the help I've received. And, of course, to continue to benefit from all the great advice on there. Links which may be of interest to you: Some of my old posts feel a bit cringe-worthy when I look back at them, but that's all part of learning. I'll stop rambling now, let me know if there's anything pertinent I missed. Thanks, Joel
Sad News :(
Bret Pettichord asked to be moved to alumni section.
It is time to move me to the Alumni list, as I am no longer an active contributor to the Watir project. I don't contribute code any more and I haven't helped manage the project since hosting the Watir Bazaar a year ago (March 2012). I've asked others to recognize when they've stopped contributing. Now it is my turn. I should make clear that my team still uses Watir-Webdriver (and WatirMark) every day, so we continue to be users and I continue to encourage my team to contribute to the project. I am also very happy with the current team that has been keeping the project active, especially the leadership provided by Jari, Jarmo and Zeljko. (...) Last year I had been working on an application for membership in the Software Freedom Conservancy, but realized that I did not have the commitment needed to submit it. If others would like to pursue this, I am happy to support their efforts. Bret
Tiffany Fodor also asked to be moved to alumni section.
Hi all! I saw in an earlier message where Bret asked to be moved to the alumni section on the Watir.com site because he hasn't done much with the team in the past year. It occurred to me that I've likely done even less and should be moved to the alumni section as well. I still use Watir-classic every day - thanks so much for keeping us IE-saddled folk in up-to-date Watir code! We're in a "do more faster" mode here at ICAT and I don't have much time to help out with the support end of things. I'll try to look in from time to time, but I can't promise to help on a consistent basis. Also, I don't have the skills to be updating the source code. I'm happy to help with the Software Conservancy application if we've decided that's how we should move forward. Please let me know if I can be of help with it without just making it more complicated by handing it off. I hope all is well with each of you - I missed seeing you all in Austin this year! Take care! -Tiffany
Hugh McGowan is the last one to ask to be moved to alumni section.
Hi all, Seems like it's the season... While I use Watir-Webdriver daily, it's been over a year since I've checked in or released code, so I should probably be moved to the alumni list as well. It's been great fun - I've learned tons and met some awesome people. Keep up the great work Jari, Jarmo and Zelkjo! I'll still lurk on this list and am happy to help with anything y'all need so feel free to ask. Let me know if you're ever in Austin! Thanks! Hugh