[Mageia-dev] GNOME plans

Tue Jun 5 19:07:45 CEST 2012

2012/6/5 Colin Guthrie <mageia at colin.guthr.ie>:
+
+> You've maybe not been following the Gnome OS stuff then? I have and it's
+> very interesting. As you know I've been a KDE developer for many years,
+> but I much prefer the Gnome approach to lower level things. People
+> involved in the Gnome project are very supportive to drive forward the
+> core underlying plumbing layers rather than just build abstraction
+> layers on top to rationalise the underlying insanity. I certainly have
+> much more affinity to this approach to engineering (as you can likely
+> tell when I share my opinions on stuff) than the KDE approach which does
+> quite often paper over the cracks rather than solve the underlying problems.
+>
+> So I don't disagree with you with regards to how we, as a distro, should
+> treat Gnome, but do keep in mind that "Gnome OS" as a whole is something
+> we will all benefit from - this covers everything from how early boot
+> should deal with user interaction and encryption passwords etc (i.e.
+> plymouth) right up to GDM and X11 initialisation (including how to
+> handle things when it fails) and thus the desktop environment "Gnome"
+> will come with certain requirements for the underlying system on which
+> it runs. In most (if not all) cases, these requirements will be for the
+> general good anyway.
+
+I certainly agree on your first paragraph (cause it makes sense and
+the "Gnome way" is promising and it is trying to achieve a Good
+Thing(tm)). Except for one point i already pointed out: a good part
+(if not the larger part) of the users are not using Gnome. So,
+whatever Gnome includes in its settings - if it is something which
+affects the whole system (like "everything from how early boot should
+deal with user interaction and encryption passwords etc (i.e.
+plymouth) right up to GDM and X11 initialisation (including how to
+handle things when it fails)") then distributions still need the tools
+for these same tasks bnecause of users who do not use Gnome.
+
+If this tool for "non Gnomers" is such a central toolbox like the MCC
+a duplication of tools for the same task is unavoidable with users who
+use Gnome (as we have now), because you can't stop this system being
+installed on the same system as Gnome. Also keep in mind that many of
+those tools are needed before the desktop environment is even
+installed.
+
+So, what I'd rather see is a common cross-distribution toolbox outside
+of the desktop environments taking care of system business than a
+common toolbox inside a certain desktop environment which is not
+available if you do not use that desktop environment. This has not
+much to do with development but more with logic and reality.
+
+-- 
+wobo
+