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List: kde-devel
Subject: Re: Fwd: Re: [Dlc-discuss] Inhibitors to the desktop
From: Adriaan de Groot <adridg () sci ! kun ! nl>
Date: 2004-01-18 12:24:20
Message-ID: Pine.GSO.4.44.0401181312190.765-100000 () wn4 ! sci ! kun ! nl
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On Sat, 17 Jan 2004, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> - go through the modules except kdelibs and kdebase. Sort out if it *really*
> needs to be a part of the KDE core modules. If not, outsource it to
> kdeextragear.
<snip>
> I'm not only speaking about this because I'm packaging KDE for debian - I'm
> interested in our task at KDE: providing a good desktop environement and the
> necessary utilities bundled with it so they are in the best shape
Fruitless discussion _unless_ you have a specific target audience in mind.
As a packager, you certainly have an audience, a market in mind: say,
left-handed mulatto touch-typists speaking Paipiemento, Russian, and
heavily into the graphical design scene. Then you can pick your apps and
assemble them into something nifty (say, a bootable 512M USB memory
stick).
Now what is KDE CVS' target audience? Damned if I know. I'd dare to
suggest that _it hasn't got one_. Code in there kind of accretes; apps
that work stay, apps that don't end up back in nonbeta. Only libs and base
get any grooming because they're dependencies for everything else and
people are more likely to whine if they end up too big. So in libs and
base, the "evolutionary process" has culled it down to stuff considered
essential.
Now look at some other module. Let's pick PIM. Who's your target audience?
Those touch-typists are too cool to own a Palm pilot, cell-phone reception
is lousy, IM is the only way to communicate, but having a date book for
dance parties is essential. So based on your market, only KOrganizer is a
useful app in PIM. I'm sure a different market can be found that disagrees
with that assessment. Now which market gets "the upper hand" in KDE CVS?
I'd suggest: neither one. Let KDE CVS remain (market) neutral and accrete
good code. Leave it to the packagers - that's you, Ralph, and that's us
over in KDE-FBSD too, and the folks at Connectiva, and wherever - to sort
out the mess based on _the market they are serving_. And let the
developers get on with pointless bickering about default values, ok?
--
Adriaan de Groot adridg@cs.kun.nl Kamer A6020 024-3652272
GPG Key Fingerprint 934E 31AA 80A7 723F 54F9 50ED 76AC EE01 FEA2 A3FE
http://www.cs.kun.nl/~adridg/research/
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