How can we make it easier to experiment with the compiler?

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad]

On Monday, 24 May 2021 at 06:00:06 UTC, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
> refactoring. I find it confusing that people push for massive 
> reorganization for years, but won't bother to create 50 line 
> PRs that add `private` appropriately.

Yes, but I'd like this thread to be more forward-looking and 
focus more on making compiler hacking a "fun hobby" rather than 
being one of should-have-in-the-past.

The key "sociological" point one could take away from this is:

1. Do boring chores together, because that makes them less unfun.

2. Then leave the smaller fun things to individuals that have 
sporadic activity (busy life or weak affiliation with the 
project).

3. Encourage a sense of autonomous ownership, and experimental 
forks is a very good way to achieve that. Research on school 
children shows that a sense of autonomous ownership of the task 
is a good motivation aspect. (Not sufficient, but close to 
necessary.)

(To do unfun chores together we need a plan and some sort of 
model or map).