lj_userdoc.Earlier this week, Brad put
jproulx (a.k.a. opiummmm) in charge of LiveJournal's documentation system.Creating that system (
lj_sysdoc) was my job, and it was what made all of my documentation efforts worthwhile to me. I ended up in charge of lj_userdoc too, not because I wanted to, but because it was necessary to keep plans for the documentation system on track. However, once I held both positions, I had to balance the needs of users and Support volunteers (served by lj_userdoc) against the needs of programmers and site administrators (served by lj_sysdoc). I've always insisted that the needs of half a million users and Support volunteers should come first, but Brad wants the technical docs reformatted and included in LJ's software distribution at any cost. The result has been a cold war which lasted for nearly a year. During half of that time, he was deliberately stalling my work without telling me.I'm no longer willing to fight Brad over this issue. The battles have taken up too much of my time. No matter what I do now, there's too much chance that everything I've worked towards for free will be replaced by the inferior system Brad has actually paid for.
That's why I was absent during April, and why I've given up on being allowed to complete my work in a way that meets everybody's needs. Without that ability, I have no incentive to stay on here.
Brad has asserted many times that I never achieved anything, just because the manual I created doesn't yet support technical documentation. I'm sick of that. Last night, Brad moved the beginnings of Opi's manual onto the site instead. I was told during its development that it would be a temporary system for technical documentation only, and would not be moved onto livejournal.com. (Most of us wanted it on livejournal.org instead.) Apparently I was deceived. I'm sure Brad and Opi both knew I would leave if they took this step, but apparently that's OK with them, too.
This announcement probably signals my complete departure from the LJ organization. Although I want to finish my work in
lj_sysdoc as much as ever, Brad has effectively stripped me of my authority to do so. I have no reason to think he'll want to reverse his decision. In any case, with my confidence in LJ's "management" practices shattered (a problem I started to explain recently in a more privileged forum), I will not continue working for LJ unless there is a major management overhaul (or for payment, which is an idea I've rejected in the past). In short, I have a snowball's chance in hell of continuing. Actually, it did snow here this morning (no kidding), but I'll have to check the Seattle forecast.Big thanks to everyone who makes this team so successful. I'm sorry to place that at the end of such a bitter-sounding post (if you read the cut text). "Thank you" is probably the most important thing I can say right now.
