Quote:
Originally Posted by David Brinza
Hey, many of the rules can seem almost arbitrary and incompatible with the way some FIRST teams operate.
The "fix-it window" rule is a good example: last year you were allowed two 5-hour periods in which to upgrade, make spare parts or work on software. For some teams, that highly-constrained work period just couldn't work. If, during weekdays, the mentors couldn't show up until after 6 pm and the school or facility where you built the robot required you to leave by 9pm, you basically lost 40% of your fix-it window those days. FIRST could make it easier (and dare I say, more "fair") by allowing teams to have three "fix-it window" sessions with no more than 10 hours cumulative permitted. Under last year's rule, that wasn't an option.
Would you consider a team that worked 3 hours on two weeknights and four hours on Saturday to be taking unfair advantage of other teams? Could YOUR team rationalize this as meeting the spirit of the "fix-it window intent"? (I'm not saying that I know of teams that did this; we certainly didn't.)
As part of the FIRST community, we have the right (actually, the duty) to suggest that the FIRST rules have enough flexibilty to accommodate teams constraints without unduly penalizing them. Why put teams at a disadvantage via somewhat arbitrary rules intended to "level" the playing field?
Honor code is a great thing, but if some of the least enforceable rules seem arbitrarily over-constrained, the temptation to "skirt" them can drive teams down the path to rationalize their deviations from those rules. Once you start down that path, other rules can become victimized as well. I don't think that's where we want to go...
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The fix it windows were definately intense for us this year. Luckily, due to severall machinist and CNCs working concurrently, we pulled it off.
Now to actually contribute; The rules that FIRST hands down are the rules. Complain on CD about them, or nitpickt he Q&A; but in the end, if FIRST doesn't change it, you just have to follow it. If it were to become standard practice for some teams to break some unpopular rules (that seem to have no rationale) that easily spread to rules that would have worse consequences if broken.
On the other hand, if the referees or field crew is insisting on a rule that is no place mentioned in ANY documentation, then go ahead and fight it. But even then, if the ref's are adament about it, you'll have to follow.
FIRST is unfair enough as it is; unfairly breaking rules because "no one" is watching will just make that worse.