Re: Time to heat up the new module discussion

[Ben Maurer <bmaurer andrew cmu edu>]

On Fri, 14 Jul 2006, Alvaro Lopez Ortega wrote:
>  Yeah, 100% agree. That is exactly the problem: applications would
>  use another framework rather than the one that they are suppose to
>  use (we are speaking about GNOME apps).

libxml is an XML library for *C* apps. It's not designed to be usable in 
any other language.

>  I understand the desktop framework as the common infrastructure in
>  which almost all the desktop applications are based on. If we move
>  from a scheme in which there is an unique group of common stuff to
>  one in which there are a few of them (GNOME, Python, Mono, Java?) it
>  may become "a little" messy. IMO.

We're not proposing Java. Don't try to inflate your numbers by putting 
stuff not under consideration in there.

First, let's observe that almost everyone seems to desire a move in the 
managed code direction. Microsoft has invested quite a bit of engineering 
effort into their Vista based framework. Sun is investing by improving 
Java on the desktop (including by making Swing apps look native in gtk, 
for Mustang/Java 6. This work is very impressive). Novell's desktop now 
includes many Mono based applications.

GNOME is not going to survive in C. Will we continue to have a nice 
desktop environment, yes. However, we are not going to make a computing 
ecosystem by sitting in our C shells. Embracing python is a good step 
forward. Embracing Mono will allow the innovations that Novell has made in 
terms of search, music and photos to be a part of GNOME. Further, because 
the CLI has a bytecode that supports many languages, it opens up these 
applications to plugins written in any language from C# to Python.

Most of the Mono based apps provide functionality that GNOME never 
*really* had (a usable music playter that syncs to ipods, etc; a photo 
manager; desktop search). Multi-user setups (such as those used by your 
company, Sun), these applications need not be used.

Innovation will continue in Mono with or without GNOMEs blessing. GNOME is 
what will be missing out by being stalled on a silly flamewar started by a 
small number of people.

-- Ben