Re: very rough pre-gep tentative new modules list

[Jeff Waugh <jdub perkypants org>]

<quote who="Michael Meeks">

> 	Why do we want to add more things to the core desktop ? is it:
> 
> 	a) To make the authors feel good 
> 	b) To mandate a minimum 'Gnome Desktop'
> 	c) To encourage people to hack on them
> 	d) So we can claim 'Gnome has feature XYZ'
> 
> 	? any others ? my concerns are that:
> 
> 	a) Not a good reason to include anything

a) is also why the Fifth Toe release exists -> an official set of cool GNOME
apps and utilities to encourage authors, but are not necessarily supported
and don't have the same responsibilities and concerns as modules in the
platform and desktop releases.

> 	b) A good idea - but if this is the case, we're foisting a 	   massive
> 	burden on companies in terms of long term support - a can't just pop
> 	stuff in and out. Package addition should be a very well thought out
> 	process.

Definitely. This is what the upcoming process GEP is meant to achieve,
despite Luis' claims to not know what it's for or why we need it. ;-)

> 	c) Pushing unstable stuff in to get people to work on it seems 
> 	   like an extremely daft strategy.
> 
> 	d) We can claim that Gnome has a feature XYZ anyway

Yeah, both crap.

> 	Perhaps I missed something.

Mostly summed up in b) -> there are certain features that should really be a
central part of a 'modern Desktop environment'. I hope this conversation
answers that, as well as what the particular modules will be.

> 	So really my question hinges on "What is the 'Gnome desktop'"
> deliniation useful for ? how is it different to 5th toe ?

Think of the Desktop release standards as being somewhere between the
platform (goes as far as specifying ABI compatibility over major releases)
and Fifth Toe ("cool GNOME software"). Whilst the standards may change, they
essentially come down to things like maintainability, appropriateness,
supportability, etc.

This needs to be codified in some way. The first GEP I'm working on should
define the process for selecting platform and desktop modules, but it will
not define the criteria or standards. That should be done elsewhere.

> 	And of course, from that flows "should we be pushing random stuff into
> it temporarily instead of agreeing a long term strategy ?".

Not in the Desktop release, no. Modules would need longevity, etc.

- Jeff

-- 
     "They cosset us with trappings to shut us up. That way when we say     
     'sharecropper!' you can point to my free suit and say 'Shut up pop     
                          star.'" - Courtney Love