RE: Browser - [was 2.4 Proposed Modules - 2 weeks left]

[mpeseng tin it]

>> Competing products:
>>
>> I dont see mozilla like a competing product.
>> They have
>> different targets.
>
>All browers browse the web. They clearly attempt to solve the same >problem.

Heh I was too extremist here ;)
I dont feel mozilla like a competing product because they aim to be a multiplatform
browser while I think GNOME need a very integrated browser (and epiphany
targets to be that). I think these targets conflicts in a not solvable way.
But you are certainly right that there is some intersection.

>Yes, kind-of, but I wouldn't like the remaining galeon developers to
>interpet epiphany adoption quite so harshly. The GNOME community can say
>what we like to do, but we can't tell anyone that they should stop doing
>what they like.

Sure, but I think the community should give a clear signal of which codebase
it's going to adopt.
So
1 We should decide if we need a native browser.
2 We have two codebases and two mainteinance. We should choose which one
fit our needs better.

The sooner we have a clear decision about these points and we let the projects
mantainers know the better. And I think we have all elements to make this
call.
You dont want to force something on people but rather informing them about
your plans about their projects.

So I was really not saying "Choose epiphany so galeon developers will stop
to lose time on galeon", my apologies if some galeon developers got it this
way, but rather "Let me know if my work is useful for GNOME, otherwise I'd
prefer to spend it in a more useful way and I could stop a fork I dont like".

>> Complexity:
>>
>> From what point of view this worries you ? Code manteinance ?
>
>I mention this above too. I think it's that a more complex task will
>encourage various competing software to solve it, whereas people are
>generally content with one piece of software to do something simple like
>add
>numbers or view pdfs. Of course, it doesn't feel like browsers should be
>all
>that complex.

Ok, I buy this as an argument to be very very carefull choosing a browser.
But I think this is also an argument to actually make a choice, soon: you
can solve integration problems of a pdf viewer easily, even at a very late
stage of a desktop development, but you can hardly do the same with a  browser,
because of his complexity.
I think we are lacking a piece in the big picture of our desktop and that
risk to be a serious problems later.

>By the way, everything that I've read from you recently gives me confidence
>that you could be a great GNOME maintainer.

Thank you :)

Marco