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diff --git a/zarb-ml/mageia-dev/attachments/20101001/efccb7f2/attachment.html b/zarb-ml/mageia-dev/attachments/20101001/efccb7f2/attachment.html new file mode 100644 index 000000000..ff64fc361 --- /dev/null +++ b/zarb-ml/mageia-dev/attachments/20101001/efccb7f2/attachment.html @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 00:43, Michael Scherer <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:misc@zarb.org">misc@zarb.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;"> +<br> +Yup, the distro that make you become expert, something like that.<br> +<br> +One thing we must not forget is that we need people that contribute if<br> +we want to survive. A commercial distribution requires money ( and<br> +therefore users that can bring money , either directly, or either<br> +indirectly ( service, ads, etc )) to survive. We are not a commercial<br> +distribution, so the pressure is lower with regard to money. But we<br> +still to have people that develop it, and if we cannot pay people for<br> +that directly ( since we are not a company, even if maybe some companies<br> +will help us later ), we need to directly use contributions as a way to<br> +ensure our own sustainability.<br> +<br> +SO IMHO, this is what we should seek if we want to survive. Gathering<br> +contributions should be one of our goals.<br> +<br> +The second point is that we are here because we want community<br> +empowerment. So community also must be a strong point, especially since<br> +it will appeal to people that would allow the community to survive.<br> +<br> +So again, I think that empowerment should be another one of the goals.<br> +<br> +Now, we must ask ourself "what is pushing people to contribute".<br> +There is various papers, like this one<br> +<a href="http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1113/1033" target="_blank">http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1113/1033</a><br> +<br> +( I let the analysis as a exercise for the moment ).<br> +<br> +And we need to find a way to combine this with others goals.<br> +<br> +While a traditional motivation in free software is to solve our own<br> +problem ( and that's also part of community empowerment ), this is not<br> +enough. We also need to think to more than us. And I think that's the<br> +complex part.<br> +<br> +We have 2 choices. Either we try to find a market where no one went, or<br> +a market where someone went, and try to be better. Or maybe both.<br> +<br> +--<br> +<font color="#888888">Michael Scherer<br> +</font><div><div></div><br></div></blockquote></div>I agree.<br><br>One way towards that goal is something I thought about since some years :<br>lessen the divide between the GUI and CLI approach to computers, and OS's in particular. And thus between the 'user' and the 'geek' cultures (even if geeks are users too).<br> +<br>In particular : that the GUI tools, for example the GUI draktools, provide a link (button) to a short explanation of how they do what they do. For example : what are the configuration files that are changed, and how.<br> +<br>It could be seen as an extension of what is possible with an icon of the Panel : a right-click gets you to see what it does : the command is visible.<br><br clear="all">When I was teaching an introduction to OS's, I used Mandr/ake/iva this way for<br> +people mainly familiar with Windows : the GUI functions are similar, even if different, but you can have a 'readable text' access to what really happens.<br><br>At first I just told them which configuration files where concerned. Later I wrote some simple perl scripts using fileschanged (<a href="http://fileschanged.sourceforge.net/">http://fileschanged.sourceforge.net/</a>)<br> +to let them find it themselves. But there were many limitations : for instance KDE configurations are not writen to file directly.<br><br>Anyway it would be much more helpful if it is incorporated in the GUI tool itself (eventually as an option).<br> +It would encourage progressive exploration of the underlying workings.<br>For anybody, but evidently exploratory behavior is more prevalent in younger people.<br><br>Viewed with some optimism, if this approach is extended, it could lead to an experience similar to that of people who came to programming through contact with the early 8 bit microcomputers. (Many people lament the disapearence of that path of access).<br> +<br>From the 'magic' point of view it would point to : Magea : the School of Magic<br><br>-- <br><br>Frederic<br> |