Re: no external panels for gnome-control-center [was GNOME Feature Proposal: Backup]

["Jason D. Clinton" <me jasonclinton com>]

On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 14:45, Sergey Udaltsov
<sergey udaltsov gmail com> wrote:
> Technically, if the architecture only allows extension through
> patching (instead of extension points), it means the architecture is
> closed (that must be a highly offensive statement, if we're talking
> about free software).

So every piece of free software that hasn't yet implemented extension
points is offensive to free software, according to you? Doesn't that
seem like a somewhat extreme position?

> Also, that is a very effective way to alienate
> 3rd parties (app developers, distromakers).

Not really, no. UI's that users don't want to use because they are
confusing alienates 3rd parties because, well, we don't have any
users. Why don't we get some users and then worry about alienating
developers by encouraging good design?

> I suspect, that attitude
> in gnome possibly affected Canonical decision to drop gnome 3.

This is completely fabricated speculation which is, in fact, not true.
Please refrain from spreading false information; that doesn't help
anyone.

> distros have to either patch g-c-c
> to introduce distro-specific capplets (maintaining patches is not the
> same thing as maintaining separate modules using relatively stable
> APIs)

We don't want 3rd parties putting things in g-c-c--that's all we're
saying. But it's free software; they can if they want to, of course.

> GNOME is not an OS.

But it could be.

> GNOME is not a distribution.

Right.

> GNOME is a core
> desktop ("desktop building toolkit", if you like)/

We want it to be more.

> All those rants aside, let me ask one question: is this APIlessness
> considered as a temporary measure (I know, gnome 3 is currently highly
> undocumented - at least I did not see g-c-c 3 UI guidelines) for some
> transitional period or is it a policy that is planned to last in
> foreseeble future of gnome3?

Couldn't you have asked before ranting?