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List:       koffice
Subject:    Re: Slashdot article on GNOME
From:       Shawn Gordon <shawn-gordon () home ! com>
Date:       2000-08-14 16:58:29
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Hi Jacques,

While this is a beautiful argument, and it makes sense on the surface,
it also isn't true.  The KDE Free Qt Foundation specifies that if Troll
is ever bought out, then the latest version of Qt will be released under
a BSD-style license the next date.  The details are at
http://www.kde.org/kdeqtfoundation.html


Jacques Chester wrote:
> 
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> It is time for me to rant.
> 
> Please note that, all told, I think OSS is just
> fine without all this attention to suits and
> whatnot. But if we are to do then we are to do
> it. Let us not hem and haw and bullshit. Let us
> instead go for the damn throat :)
> 
> > This one really blows me away.  I'm starting to feel like GNOME is
> > Microsoft Windows 1.0 and KDE is Apple.  KDE is better, but GNOME
> > is  winning the PR war.  The reality is that a single desktop will
> > in fact  become predominate in the home and business market, and
> > having major  companies getting behind creating a GNOME Office is
> > going to be a major  blow to KDE and KOffice.
> 
> GNOME won initially because of its ideological
> Jihad against Qt; it continues forward motion
> on the back of a Miguel-centred cult-of-personality
> and sheer bloody-minded inertia.
> 
> KDE lacks the same charismatic leadership, or at
> least the appearance of same. Torvalds, Wall,
> de Icaza, Guido - these are *names* that by a
> mix of competence *and* force of personality
> helped to make their respective projects.
> 
> Large companies, however much they wish to
> appear as "innovative" (cough splutter), are
> quite conservative. They have to be. And
> KDE has suffered from a kind of delayed-action
> "Transference Effect". That KDE was in or around
> something "bad" makes KDE "bad". All the logical
> reasoning in the world will not make it otherwise.
> Humans are irrational machines, specialists at
> sharply limited, evolutionary-scale adaptive
> behaviour. Winning On The Merits has nuthin' to
> do with it.
> 
> Sun et al also like GNOME because of the
> control angle. KDE rests on Qt: Qt is owned by
> TrollTech. Until TrollTech surrenders Qt to a
> GPL license, or until some company flush with
> IPO cash does so by purchasing TT outright
> and GPLing Qt, "big companies" new to the
> OSS scene *will* be leary of KDE. Again, we
> know that Qt is Free, but that's not what
> matters.
> 
> What matters is the paranoia of which Grove
> speaks. Sun big-shots would not have been
> smiling when their scenario planners came back
> and said: "Scenario 4 - we invest in KDE.
> IBM buys TrollTech, and screws us on past
> and future versions of Qt. Too much hassle
> picking up the pieces, and a very high chance
> that enormous chaos will erupt in the KDE
> community".
> 
> If you were Sun, would *you* have liked that
> scenario? Thought not. What about ... "Scenario
> 5 - we invest in GNOME. The project is GPL'd,
> there are no strategic targets of acquisition
> that could lock anyone out. We gain the same
> network effect as for KDE, without the risk
> of being locked-out by takeover of TrollTech".
> 
> > KDE IMHO needs a strong evangelist out there talking about it and
> > promoting  it like Miquel is doing with GNOME.  If I had a good
> > salesman in the  company I would offer him up, but I don't.  Any
> > suggestions on how we can  become more vocal and noticed?  I know
> > my company promotes KDE at every  opportunity, and we are focusing
> > almost all of our development efforts on KDE.
> 
> As you say, we need a salespuke, an evangelist,
> a preacher of the faith; someone who can take
> it to the Suits and slam it all home. But first
> you're going to need to explain to me why, in
> Suit Language, KDE isn't a dangerous bet versus
> good wholesome GPL'd GNOME.
> 
> I'd offer myself, but I'm not really qualified.
> I've sold stuff, I like writing, I've evangelised
> in my time; but I'm sure there are better
> qualified types. That and I'm not a programmer
> on the project - more a hanger on. I am the
> dreaded Free Rider, the Newbie of yore; therefore
> I will earn little respect from the meritocracy
> of OSS. And it is that very meritocracy that
> the media are busily romanticising as I write.
> 
> > My company has been trying to keep a low profile on some of our
> > projects,  because we hate to announce things too early, but maybe
> > it's time to start  talking about the Visio type program and MS
> > Access type program and  such.  What do you guys think?
> 
> Talking? You should be fairly screaming. If you
> have alpha-quality material, start pumping out
> those press releases. And don't just go after
> Linux sites and publications, CHASE THE MAINSTREAM.
> I cannot emphasize that enough. Suits are suits.
> They do not read LinuxWorld, they read the WSJ
> and the Financial Times. Right now GNOME is creeping
> into those forums on the back of Linux - you must
> now capitalise on the strengths of KDE and play
> for the mainstream.
> 
> The KDE Project is a naif. If it is to remain on
> fair footing with GNOME it must shed that and be
> prepared to pay at least lip-service to PR.
> 
> > Regards,
> >
> > Shawn Gordon
> 
> be well;
> 
> JC.
> 
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