Re: GNOME Online Accounts 3.34 won't have documents support

[Allan Day <aday gnome org>]

Emmanuele Bassi <ebassi gmail com> wrote:
...
> > This approach isn't new, and you can read more detail here:
> > https://wiki.gnome.org/Projects/GnomeOnlineAccounts/Goals
>
> I know the rationale. I never particularly agreed with it, because it felt like an ex post rationalisation 
> about not having third party modules, and getting people to commit functionality upstream. ...

I don't think that was the reason. At least, it's not what's been on
my mind, and I don't remember others putting that view forward.

The main factor has always been about how we handle identity. If we
give online accounts access to 3rd party apps, we're giving them
access to the GNOME keys. They appear as "GNOME" to online providers
and their access is bundled up with our own. As a result, we lose the
ability to ensure that the GNOME keys are being used in accordance
with providers' terms and conditions.

> From a design perspective that's never been something we've wanted to
do, both from a branding and identity perspective, as well as from a
"oh shit we can't access Google any more, because some random app did
something they didn't like".

> What I'm objecting to is the wishy-washy approach of telling people: "Sure, you can keep working on 
> Documents, it's just not going to be installed any more" without telling the whole story.
>
> If Documents is removed, then all the Documents integration within GNOME is also removed, which means that 
> the project *in its current incarnation* should just be archived. People should be encouraged to fork it, 
> if they find it useful, and implement that integration inside Documents itself. This gives the proper 
> context and communicates the proper expectations to people willing to maintain the Documents code base.

If you think something can be done better, just suggest how it can be
done better.

Allan