Project Activity Mode Vocabulary

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Software projects

The following vocabulary is proposed for defining the "activity mode" of a software project:

"Dealt with" means patched, except for bugs which require substantial code rewrites, in which case "dealt with" means a public announcement, and, in the case of security-related bugs, continuous work until the bug is patched.

By default, "promptly" means 3 months, or 2 weeks for security-related bugs. Users are encouraged to "parameterize" this vocabulary by redefining this length of time.

Here's a handy table:

Activity mode adding features or cleaning up code?serious bugs expected to be promptly dealt with?planning to become more active?
Active Yes Yes N/A
Sporadic Yes, occasionally Yes N/A
Asleep No Yes Yes
Maintanence mode No Yes No
Coma No No Yes (or: fixing bugs, but slowly)
Dead No No No
Sloppy Yes No N/A

Non-software projects

The vocabulary is simpler when software is not involved.

An individual's level of support for a project