GEP 10, again [was RE: [GnomeMeeting-list] 2.4 Proposed Modules - GnomeMeeting]

[Luis Villa <louie ximian com>]

On Wed, 2003-05-07 at 07:42, Damien Sandras wrote:

> That is a vision of things, but you cannot reject GnomeMeeting for that
> reason without having defined what is the desktop and what is not the
> desktop release. If something like gnumeric can't be included in the
> desktop release, then the desktop release shouldn't include any e-mail
> client or web browser either.

We have tried to define such a thing, in broad, general terms, in GEP
10. http://developer.gnome.org/gep/gep-10.html

It is my personal opinion that gnome-meeting probably belongs in under
the phrase 'stable platform for improvement and integration'. Big apps
(gnumeric, etc.) can benefit from little apps (gnomemeeting) that
provide communication and interoperability.

Damien: how do you feel about the integration part of this? I know
you've suggested some ways (you register a mime handler now, right?)
that this would be improved, but I'm curious if you have other
examples/ideas where this could benefit us.

[I challenge anyone to suggest how spreadsheets or wordprocessing can
enhance the entire desktop in that way; if someone can be convincing on
that point, perhaps I'll have to rethink my stance.]

> > However, I don't personally have any idea whether VOIP will become an
> > everyday part of Desktop usage. Until it does, I would prefer not to bless
> > or support a particular VOIP application. Nothing stops people from
> > installing it if they want it.
> 
> That's what I call "reacting when it is too late". Either you build the
> future, or you react to it. I think it is better to be innovative.
> 
> GnomeMeeting is largely used in companies, corporations, and so on. It
> is a good part of the user base.
> 
> I took the decision to create a GNOME application instead of a pure GTK
> application. Some people argue that it is limiting the diffusion of
> GnomeMeeting, because of the numerous dependancies. But GnomeMeeting was
> part of my vision of the desktop of the future, that is why I've done my
> best to integrate it well in GNOME, and now I realize I'm perhaps the
> only one to have that vision of a coherent, unified and powerful (in
> terms of tasks) desktop.

You're not the only one, Damien, but you are proposing something
radically different. Not everyone has really absorbed the notion of
computer as communications center as quickly as they've absorbed the
notion of computer as media center. Hopefully if gnomemeeting and some
IM library can be well integrated in GNOME we can change that.

Luis