# Who are the current eligible voters?

- Thread: https://externals.io/message/108149
- Original archive: https://news-web.php.net/php.internals/108149
- Started by Paul M. Jones on 2020-01-15T19:19:36+00:00
- Messages: 21
- Reply by email to internals@lists.php.net
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---

## #108149 — Paul M. Jones — 2020-01-15T19:19:36+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108149

Hi all,

Apropos the Nicolas Grekas discussion on this list ...

  <https://externals.io/message/108111>

... and on Reddit ...

  <https://www.reddit.com/r/PHP/comments/eoltx1/nicolas_grekas_application_to_vote_on_rfcs/>

... I began to wonder who all is eligible to vote.

Looking at people.php.net to see who has karma appears insufficient. For example, Ocramius <https://people.php.net/ocramius> has no karma but is eligible to vote; Fabien Potencier has voted as well but has no people.php.net page.

So: is there a public listing of, or public code for deriving the list of, currently eligible voters?


-- 
Paul M. Jones
pmjones@pmjones.io
http://paul-m-jones.com

Modernizing Legacy Applications in PHP
https://leanpub.com/mlaphp

Solving the N+1 Problem in PHP
https://leanpub.com/sn1php

---

## #108150 — Ben Ramsey — 2020-01-15T19:21:52+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108150 · In reply to: #108149

> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Apropos the Nicolas Grekas discussion on this list ...
> 
>  <https://externals.io/message/108111>
> 
> ... and on Reddit ...
> 
>  <https://www.reddit.com/r/PHP/comments/eoltx1/nicolas_grekas_application_to_vote_on_rfcs/>
> 
> ... I began to wonder who all is eligible to vote.
> 
> Looking at people.php.net to see who has karma appears insufficient. For example, Ocramius <https://people.php.net/ocramius> has no karma but is eligible to vote; Fabien Potencier has voted as well but has no people.php.net page.
> 
> So: is there a public listing of, or public code for deriving the list of, currently eligible voters?


Everyone with a php.net account is able to vote. The public list is here: https://people.php.net/

-Ben

---

## #108151 — Paul M. Jones — 2020-01-15T20:02:56+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108151 · In reply to: #108150

> 
> 
> Everyone with a php.net account is able to vote. The public list is here: https://people.php.net/

I don't think that's *quite* the case? As has been noted elsewhere, the rules are:

> • People with php.net VCS accounts that have contributed code to PHP
> • Representatives from the PHP community, that will be chosen by those with php.net VCS accounts
> 	• Lead developers of PHP based projects (frameworks, cms, tools, etc.)
> 	• regular participant of internals discussions

It's clear that the second point has not really taken hold, but the first point adds the caveat "that have contributed code to PHP", and that part *does* seem widely accepted.

So unless I am wrong, merely having a php.net account doesn't appear sufficient -- code or docs contributions are an additional prerequisite to getting a vote.

Ben (and others) -- your thoughts? Is it really as straightforward as "having a php.net account alone is enough to be eligible to vote" ?


-- 
Paul M. Jones
pmjones@pmjones.io
http://paul-m-jones.com

Modernizing Legacy Applications in PHP
https://leanpub.com/mlaphp

Solving the N+1 Problem in PHP
https://leanpub.com/sn1php

---

## #108152 — Ben Ramsey — 2020-01-15T20:12:06+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108152 · In reply to: #108151

> 
> 
> 
> 
> > […]
> 
> I don't think that's *quite* the case? As has been noted elsewhere, the rules are:
> 
> > […]
> 
> It's clear that the second point has not really taken hold, but the first point adds the caveat "that have contributed code to PHP", and that part *does* seem widely accepted.
> 
> So unless I am wrong, merely having a php.net account doesn't appear sufficient -- code or docs contributions are an additional prerequisite to getting a vote.
> 
> Ben (and others) -- your thoughts? Is it really as straightforward as "having a php.net account alone is enough to be eligible to vote” ?


I wasn’t answering based on the rules. My answer is based on practice. AFAIK, everyone with a php.net account also has access to the wiki (you log into the wiki using your php.net account), and therefore, also has the ability to vote on RFCs.

Maybe there are some who have access to the wiki without a php.net account, and maybe there are some who can access the wiki who can’t vote. Whomever has admin access on the wiki can provide more information.

-Ben

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## #108153 — Nikita Popov — 2020-01-15T20:15:58+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108153 · In reply to: #108151

>
>
> > […]
> here: https://people.php.net/
>
> I don't think that's *quite* the case? As has been noted elsewhere, the
> rules are:
>
> > […]
> with php.net VCS accounts
> > […]
> etc.)
> > […]
>
> It's clear that the second point has not really taken hold, but the first
> point adds the caveat "that have contributed code to PHP", and that part
> *does* seem widely accepted.
>
> So unless I am wrong, merely having a php.net account doesn't appear
> sufficient -- code or docs contributions are an additional prerequisite to
> getting a vote.
>
> Ben (and others) -- your thoughts? Is it really as straightforward as
> "having a php.net account alone is enough to be eligible to vote" ?
>

Yes, having a php.net account is sufficient. Additionally there are 28
users in the wiki in the "phpcvs" group, which I *think* means they can
also vote.

Based on master.php.net data, the number of people who are eligible for
voting is approximately 1900. The usual turnout for RFC votes is more like
30. If it's something very controversial, maybe 100.

People aren't kidding when they say it's easy to get an RFC vote -- but in
reality, there's simply very little interest ;)

Regards,
Nikita

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## #108154 — Paul M. Jones — 2020-01-15T20:18:13+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108154 · In reply to: #108152

> 
> 
> > […]
> 
> I wasn’t answering based on the rules. My answer is based on practice.

Sure, though that practice has to be codified *somewhere*, otherwise there'd be no way for the wiki voting plugin to figure out who's allowed to vote.


> AFAIK, everyone with a php.net account also has access to the wiki (you log into the wiki using your php.net account), and therefore, also has the ability to vote on RFCs.

"As far as you know" is fine, but it would be nice to hear something more authoritative ...


> Whomever has admin access on the wiki can provide more information.

... as you note.

Can anyone besides Ben provide some insight here, perhaps even point to the code that determines if a wiki user is allowed to vote?


-- 
Paul M. Jones
pmjones@pmjones.io
http://paul-m-jones.com

Modernizing Legacy Applications in PHP
https://leanpub.com/mlaphp

Solving the N+1 Problem in PHP
https://leanpub.com/sn1php

---

## #108155 — Paul M. Jones — 2020-01-15T20:19:44+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108155 · In reply to: #108153

Hi --

> 
> 
> Yes, having a php.net account is sufficient. Additionally there are 28
> users in the wiki in the "phpcvs" group, which I *think* means they can
> also vote.

Ah, very good -- thanks for that!


-- 
Paul M. Jones
pmjones@pmjones.io
http://paul-m-jones.com

Modernizing Legacy Applications in PHP
https://leanpub.com/mlaphp

Solving the N+1 Problem in PHP
https://leanpub.com/sn1php

---

## #108156 — Mike Schinkel — 2020-01-15T20:23:35+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108156 · In reply to: #108153

> 
> 
> Based on master.php.net data, the number of people who are eligible for
> voting is approximately 1900. The usual turnout for RFC votes is more like
> 30. If it's something very controversial, maybe 100.

Wow. From a participation standpoint that seems pretty pathetic. If 30 is the average that means most people never vote. 

I would have assumed that having a vote would mean that people would be expected to vote periodically or if not then loose the privilege.  

#jmtcw

-Mike

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## #108157 — Larry Garfield — 2020-01-15T20:29:48+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108157 · In reply to: #108152

> > […]
> 
> 
> I wasn’t answering based on the rules. My answer is based on practice. 
> AFAIK, everyone with a php.net account also has access to the wiki (you 
> log into the wiki using your php.net account), and therefore, also has 
> the ability to vote on RFCs.
> 
> Maybe there are some who have access to the wiki without a php.net 
> account, and maybe there are some who can access the wiki who can’t 
> vote. Whomever has admin access on the wiki can provide more 
> information.
> 
> -Ben
> 
> Attachments:
> * signature.asc

FTR, I have Wiki access (I was able to write a pre-RFC) but I have no voting access.  Whatever the mechanism is, there is a separate setting.

--Larry Garfield

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## #108159 — Olumide Samson — 2020-01-15T21:06:04+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108159 · In reply to: #108156

From: Mike Schinkel
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 9:23 PM
To: Nikita Popov
Cc: PHP Internals List
Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Who are the current eligible voters?


> 
> 
> Based on master.php.net data, the number of people who are eligible for
> voting is approximately 1900. The usual turnout for RFC votes is more like
> 30. If it's something very controversial, maybe 100.

Wow. From a participation standpoint that seems pretty pathetic. If 30 is the average that means most people never vote. 

I would have assumed that having a vote would mean that people would be expected to vote periodically or if not then loose the privilege.  

#jmtcw

-Mike
-- 





Maybe this should be the case?
Not voting within 6 months or 12 months on a single RFC would mean you’ve either moved on with your life and lost the voting right… I think that’s similar to parliament systems…

You stop having a senator vote as soon as you leave the senate(doing something else with your life), you can pick it up whenever you’re back to be active…
---
Sent from Mail for Windows 10

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## #108160 — Levi Morrison via internals — 2020-01-15T22:58:44+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108160 · In reply to: #108159

We are predominantly volunteers, and should keep that in mind for
these kinds of things. In my opinion, a timeline of 6 months is
definitely too short. Maybe something like 3 years would be more
appropriate.

And if we do remove stale voting privileges it should be easy to get
them back again, and should not generally be met with resistance. If
someone has contributed before, we should be happy to have them back.

And all of this doesn't really matter that much; as Nikita pointed out
it is pretty easy to get an account, and most people simply don't care
to vote.

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## #108161 — Paul M. Jones — 2020-01-15T23:52:15+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108161 · In reply to: #108160

> 
> 
> We are predominantly volunteers, and should keep that in mind for
> these kinds of things.

Hear, hear.


-- 
Paul M. Jones
pmjones@pmjones.io
http://paul-m-jones.com

Modernizing Legacy Applications in PHP
https://leanpub.com/mlaphp

Solving the N+1 Problem in PHP
https://leanpub.com/sn1php

---

## #108162 — tyson andre — 2020-01-16T03:02:24+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108162 · In reply to: #108159

> Wow. From a participation standpoint that seems pretty pathetic. If 30 is the average that means most people never vote. 
>
> I would have assumed that having a vote would mean that people would be expected to vote periodically or if not then loose the privilege. 

How many of the 1900 are aware that they're eligible to vote? (a few hundred? could probably count the unique voters)
Discussions mentioning details of the RFC voting eligibility itself (e.g. this thread) are probably rare,
and limited to subscribers that actively read mailing lists (or see links from external posts).
I wasn't aware that I was able to use many of the internal tools until a few months ago,
or that I was an eligible voter until I read up on the RFC process.
(I assumed there was a small core group of voters)

When my php.net account was created,
I don't remember seeing notifications/emails about what you're eligible to do,
just the fact it was created. (It's been a while, I can't find the first email)

There are probably ways to increase awareness - I have no idea what the current state of this is.
- One-time notifications about this and other information on contributing when logging into pecl, bugs.php.net, the wiki, or other subdomains
  (e.g. "Did you know?" dialog boxes)
- Links to the same thing included in emails when creating new accounts

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## #108163 — Daniel Rodrigues Lima — 2020-01-16T03:28:40+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108163 · In reply to: #108162

Some good ideas are being clarified  in this thread, i would highlight:

“- One-time notifications about this and other information on contributing when logging into pecl, bugs.php.net, the wiki, or other subdomains
(e.g. "Did you know?" dialog boxes)
- Links to the same thing included in emails when creating new accounts” mentioned by Tyson Andre.


Obter o Outlook para iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
________________________________
De: tyson andre <tysonandre775@hotmail.com>
Enviado: Thursday, January 16, 2020 12:02:24 AM
Para: Olumide Samson <oludonsexy@gmail.com>; Mike Schinkel <mike@newclarity.net>; Nikita Popov <nikita.ppv@gmail.com>
Cc: PHP Internals List <internals@lists.php.net>
Assunto: Re: [PHP-DEV] Who are the current eligible voters?

> Wow. From a participation standpoint that seems pretty pathetic. If 30 is the average that means most people never vote.
>
> I would have assumed that having a vote would mean that people would be expected to vote periodically or if not then loose the privilege.

How many of the 1900 are aware that they're eligible to vote? (a few hundred? could probably count the unique voters)
Discussions mentioning details of the RFC voting eligibility itself (e.g. this thread) are probably rare,
and limited to subscribers that actively read mailing lists (or see links from external posts).
I wasn't aware that I was able to use many of the internal tools until a few months ago,
or that I was an eligible voter until I read up on the RFC process.
(I assumed there was a small core group of voters)

When my php.net account was created,
I don't remember seeing notifications/emails about what you're eligible to do,
just the fact it was created. (It's been a while, I can't find the first email)

There are probably ways to increase awareness - I have no idea what the current state of this is.
- One-time notifications about this and other information on contributing when logging into pecl, bugs.php.net, the wiki, or other subdomains
  (e.g. "Did you know?" dialog boxes)
- Links to the same thing included in emails when creating new accounts

---

## #108167 — Aleksander Machniak — 2020-01-16T12:47:10+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108167 · In reply to: #108153

> Yes, having a php.net account is sufficient. Additionally there are 28
> users in the wiki in the "phpcvs" group, which I *think* means they can
> also vote.
> 
> Based on master.php.net data, the number of people who are eligible for
> voting is approximately 1900. The usual turnout for RFC votes is more like
> 30. If it's something very controversial, maybe 100.
> 
> People aren't kidding when they say it's easy to get an RFC vote -- but in
> reality, there's simply very little interest ;)

This code
https://github.com/php/web-wiki/blob/9bc9ba2c3d2d0d26ab510e4959466ab8680b7de7/dokuwiki/lib/plugins/doodle/syntax.php#L226
suggests above statements are false.

-- 
Aleksander Machniak
Kolab Groupware Developer        [https://kolab.org]
Roundcube Webmail Developer  [https://roundcube.net]
----------------------------------------------------
PGP: 19359DC1 # Blog: https://kolabian.wordpress.com

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## #108168 — Paul M. Jones — 2020-01-16T12:52:10+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108168 · In reply to: #108167

> 
> 
> 
> > […]
> 
> This code
> https://github.com/php/web-wiki/blob/9bc9ba2c3d2d0d26ab510e4959466ab8680b7de7/dokuwiki/lib/plugins/doodle/syntax.php#L226
> suggests above statements are false.

*That's* the kind of thing I had I mind. Good find!

Anyone have ideas on how (or from where) the `$INFO['userinfo']['grps']` values get populated?


-- 
Paul M. Jones
pmjones@pmjones.io
http://paul-m-jones.com

Modernizing Legacy Applications in PHP
https://leanpub.com/mlaphp

Solving the N+1 Problem in PHP
https://leanpub.com/sn1php

---

## #108169 — Christoph M. Becker — 2020-01-16T13:16:21+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108169

> tyson andre in php.internals (Thu, 16 Jan 2020 03:02:24 +0000):
> > […]
>
> I was not. To my surprise Rasmus gave me a php.net account back in
> November 2019, without a explicit request.

You've requested that account in August, 2018.  It just took a while to
get approved. :)

> And I still cannot vote. This discussion prompted me to request a
> password. I got a DokuWiki password, but logging in on
> https://wiki.php.net/?do=login resulted in
>
> | Sorry, username or password was wrong.

You are supposed to be able to login with your php.net account's password.

--
Christoph M. Becker

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## #108170 — Bastian Schneider — 2020-01-16T13:19:51+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108170 · In reply to: #108168

Am 16.01.2020 um 13:52 schrieb Paul M. Jones:
> Anyone have ideas on how (or from where) the `$INFO['userinfo']['grps']` values get populated?

I would guess from the database

https://github.com/php/web-wiki/blob/9bc9ba2c3d2d0d26ab510e4959466ab8680b7de7/dokuwiki/lib/plugins/authpdo/auth.php#L208

and

https://github.com/php/web-wiki/blob/9bc9ba2c3d2d0d26ab510e4959466ab8680b7de7/dokuwiki/lib/plugins/authpdo/auth.php#L570

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## #108171 — Jan Ehrhardt — 2020-01-16T14:44:49+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108171 · In reply to: #108169

"Christoph M. Becker" in php.internals (Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:16:21
+0100):
>
>
> > […]
>
>You are supposed to be able to login with your php.net account's password.

I do not have any password. The only one I could request was through
https://wiki.php.net/start?do=resendpwd
Then I got a confirmation link and after that a password in a mail
message. That password did not work with the username 'ehrhardt' (which
is OK, because I used that one for rewuesting the password).
-- 
Jan

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## #108172 — Nikita Popov — 2020-01-16T14:51:06+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108172 · In reply to: #108171

> "Christoph M. Becker" in php.internals (Thu, 16 Jan 2020 14:16:21
> +0100):
> > […]
> password.
>
> I do not have any password. The only one I could request was through
> https://wiki.php.net/start?do=resendpwd
> Then I got a confirmation link and after that a password in a mail
> message. That password did not work with the username 'ehrhardt' (which
> is OK, because I used that one for rewuesting the password).
> --
> Jan
>

If you don't know your php.net account password, request a new one at
https://master.php.net/forgot.php.

If you have a php.net account, you need to use the php.net password to log
in on wiki.php.net (and all other php.net services). The accounts created
directly on wiki.php.net are only used by people who don't have a php.net
account.

Nikita

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## #108182 — Ben Ramsey — 2020-01-17T16:49:12+00:00

URL: https://externals.io/message/108149#108182 · In reply to: #108167

> 
> 
> 
> > […]
> 
> This code
> https://github.com/php/web-wiki/blob/9bc9ba2c3d2d0d26ab510e4959466ab8680b7de7/dokuwiki/lib/plugins/doodle/syntax.php#L226
> suggests above statements are false.


The code says that wiki users who are in the “admin,” “phpcvs,” or “voting” groups are able to vote.

A wiki account shows up in the “phpcvs” group if they login using their master.php.net account:

https://github.com/php/web-wiki/blob/9bc9ba2c3d2d0d26ab510e4959466ab8680b7de7/dokuwiki/lib/plugins/phpcvs/auth.php#L44-L62

In that code, you can see that they automatically have the “phpcvs” group applied.

According to this code for master.php.net, a user account is considered approved if they have `cvsaccess` set to 1:

https://github.com/php/web-master/blob/0e511803a5fdc430897d53e76d4eaeea407f1e1e/manage/users.php#L335-L337

So, all approved php.net accounts are eligible to vote, which is currently 1858 accounts.


-Ben
