Re: focus! (was Re: Focusing on innovation re: mono, python et al)

[Dave Neary <dneary free fr>]

Hi,


Murray Cumming wrote:
> The "desktop" includes stuff that everything (apart from very tightly
> focused embedded stuff) needs. Vendors who don't need some part of the
> desktop usually don't want any part of it. So, it's just a "base" that
> isn't yet a development platform.

You're saying this as if it's a given, which I don't think is the case.
If it's an attempt to define the term, and get consensus around that
definition, then I suggest "core" or "base/basic environment".

> As for bringing in new functionality and allowing varied focus, I still
> think this could be done with additional release sets such as
> - Productivity:
>   Spreadsheets, Word processing, Slides, Databases, Publishing.
> - Creativity:
>   Photos, Graphics, Drawing, Video- and Audio-editing, sharing, mixing,
> augmenting, collaborating.

This has now been proposed a few times (by Darren Kenny first, I think),
so let's have a go at defining it.

We'll need (imho) a proposal for an initial module set for:

* Platform

I assume everyone is happy with the platform we have now?

* Bindings

So far, GTK# in the bindings seems pretty uncontroversial

* Bare bones

Do we take the current core module list, or should we strip it down to
move, say, Vino to a sysadmin bundle with Pessulus and Sabayon? It would
be helpful to have a full and complete list of all the applications
which are currently part of the core desktop. It would also help to have
some idea how to handle panel add-ons (ideally, the core would be C
only, and deskbar would move elsewhere)

* GNOME life (we need a different name)

Rhythmbox, Totem, Soundjuicer, FSpot, Serpentine, Pitivi/Diva/both,
Thoggen, Ekiga, more?

* GNOME admin

Sabayon, Pessulus, Vino, gconf2-editor

* GNOME graphics (don flameproof pants)

Inkscape, the GIMP, others?

* GNOME developer

Glade, Gazpacho, MonoDeveloper, Eclipse (am I off my rocker?)
Profiling stuff (Frysk, gprof, ...?)

* GNOME Office

Abiword, Gnumeric, Glom, OpenOffice.org, Planner, Dia, ...

* GNOME Connected (yeuch - someone else really needs to take on naming
these things)

xchat-gnome, gaim, gnome-blog, gossip/liferea/straw, ...

There's lots of duplicate functionality in there, and perhaps lots of
missing stuff too, this is intended just as a sketch of the kinds of
things we could do with the big tent approach of a small core and
vibrant release sets. We're getting all of these applications into
GNOME, and distributors would choose release sets (and even parts of
release sets) which interested them. But GNOME itself would be a fully
functional environment.

A nice job for some young whippersnapper would be to come up with a
first draft of a proposal for release sets and functional guidelines for
inclusion of an app into a release set, and we can see what happens.

> In reality, however, all end users and vendors will want everything. But
> the vendors will just prioritise on some of these parts.

That suits me fine. Currently, that happens anyway, but the GNOME
project isn't giving any signpost to people about what we consider
solid, useful, well supported, etc.

And it nicely addresses the issue of people who want the bare bones.

Cheers,
Dave.

-- 
David Neary
bolsh gimp org