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List:       kmail-devel
Subject:    Re: Crypto plugins (was: Re: Fwd: Mitarbeit?)
From:       Jan-Oliver Wagner <jan () intevation ! de>
Date:       2001-10-31 8:45:43
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Hi Marc,

On Tue, Oct 30, 2001 at 08:56:11PM +0100, Marc Mutz wrote:
> So, I guess you have to stick with your old plan to make a crypto plugin 
> for KMail, hack up the code into Kmail as-is, and see it being 
> rewritten for KMime, once that comes available for KMail.
> 
> This is what I see now happening from your schedule. You want to 
> implement the KMail plugin structure first, where it would have to be 
> almost last if it should be done cleanly.

you are right. That is the best we can do in this situation.

> Now, that may be the BSI's fault, which didn't seem to see a need for 
> talking to the mutt and KMail guys _first_, but hacked up a 
> specification and set a much too tight schedule without having a clue 
> about bazaar development models.

The BSI didn't provide any specification except that KMail and Mutt
are to be Sphinx-enabled. The design you criticize, is the one
of the Ägypten team. I am glad for your critics for it clearly
shows and stores the overall way to go.
Can you make a small web page
describing the optimal design, which we can always refer to from the
Ägypten project to explain that only a first step is made?

As for the bazaar model, I actually think that it does not recommend
"big design up-front", but more a spiral, evolutionary method where
it is even normal to through away things that were only good to learn from.

> It's not cool to have a bunch of officials come along with a bag of 
> money and tell someone unrelated to hack up Sphinx support into KMail. 
> One would really expect the BSI to contact KDE developers first, to see 
> if they have any comments on the proposed specification (thank god, the 
> LDAP stuff now seems to be settled gracefully),

Well, the tender for this work was public and as far as I know about 12
bidders made an initial proposal. With Kalle and his team they choose
the guys most related to KDE of all the bidders.
Also, KMail is only one aspect in the project. The whole framework
is meant to be adoptable by any free software MUA and it would have
been somewhat problematic to have only KDE developers to make up
a concept that is later adopted by Mutt, Sylpheed, Mahogany, Evolution etc.
So they choose Werner Koch (g10code) and us (Intevation) to
take care dor the non-KDE-related aspects.

> but... oh, well 
> politics... What do you expect from people that unanimously cut one's 
> civil rights in a panic reaction...

You are probably referring to the head of BMI.
I fully agree that they are doing entire nonsense regarding
"security package 2". This needs to be criticized without mercy!
Nonetheless I regard it sensible to honour good things of their
doings (like investing money in free software).
With critizising and honouring actions you tell politicians
what people are concerned with. They will adapt, though rather slowly.
Unofrtunately, lobbying is another factor that influences
politicians, so free software advocats have to play this
game as well.

All the best

	Jan
-- 
Jan-Oliver Wagner               http://intevation.de/~jan/

Intevation GmbH	              	     http://intevation.de/
FreeGIS	                               http://freegis.org/
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