Re: [Easytag-mailing] EasyTAG resurrected and back from the dead!

[Liviu Andronic <landronimirc gmail com>]

Hello
I am _not_ getting dragged into this debate, but I'll jot a couple of
quick comments.


On Thu, Jul 14, 2011 at 9:53 AM, Kip Warner <kip thevertigo com> wrote:
> On Thu, 2011-07-14 at 09:41 +0300, Mihai Dobrescu wrote:
>> First of all, Windows is not a dying platform, but a killing one.
>
> Windows is a dying platform and it is being killed by GNU.
>
Maybe, but not yet. It is still the exclusively dominant platform on
the market (at >80%; for reference, 40% would have been a big number,
but 80% is huge). It is also the one that most non-technically-savvy
people are solely familiar with, and that comes pre-installed by
default in most stores around the world (bar Apple Stores). It is also
one predominantly used by businesses. So I wouldn't go as far as
saying that it is dying.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_Marketshare

I wouldn't say that it is being killed by GNU, either. Although
popularity of Linux is spreading, it is still a hacker's platform of
choice, or of some very specialised businesses. Just think of what you
have to get through only to install it on your computer: not for the
faint-hearted. At the same time, to get Windows on your computer you
simply need to buy one in the nearest retail store. In servers and
supercomputers -- Linux may be dominant, but in consumer markets --
probably no.


> GNU is now
> more popular than OS X.
>
Moreover, it still has a minor market share (see [1]) even compared to
Mac OS X. (Let's not forget that Apple PC products are resurgent
thanks to the enormous popularity of its mobile iP* products.) If I
went for an analogy, I'd say that Linux is the Opera of web browsers:
a platform of huge potential, but subject to modest consumer adoption
mainly due to its lack of commercial power compared to the big guns
(IE, FF & Chrome).


> I'm not going to argue that with you. If you
> want to use Windows, you're welcome to. You shouldn't be using EasyTAG
> anyways, but Windows Media Player or whatever McSoftware Microsoft
> recommends for managing pre-selected music from their vendor partners
> encoded in some random proprietary formats.
>
Various open-source clients work on Windows [2], such as VLC or
MPlayer/UMPlayer, so this is a non-argument.
[2] http://alternativeto.net/software/vlc-media-player/?platform=windows&license=opensource


> Like I said, I am not going to maintain for Windows but someone else is
> welcome to. It is a waste of time and about as productive as trying to
> get it to build under Amiga or DOS. The people that insist on using
> legacy platforms can do so if they choose to, but they should not drag
> the resources of the progressive and freedom loving folks down with
> them.
>
But all of the above is _not_ to say that you _should_ maintain
EasyTAG for Windows. Granted, it's highly desirable for various
reasons: a good chunk of EasyTAG users could be Windows users;
supporting a fully cross-platform application greatly encourages
adoption (from my experience with LyX, another open-source
cross-platform project); some of us use Windows by choice, and that
should be considered valid (this is what freedom to choose is about);
while others use Windows by necessity (work, etc.); moreover even some
die-hard Linux users (such as myself) have a penchant for fully
cross-platform apps, for the simple reason that at times, for
themselves or friends, they need the app on a different platform.

So maintaining the Windows code wouldn't be in any way a waste of
time. But this is a volunteer open-source project, and you're of
course not obliged to maintain a Windows port if you have no needs for
it nor see any value in it.

(Personally I use Linux by choice, and at times Windows because of
work-related necessities.) In any case, I'm grateful to you for taking
charge of this wonderful project and injecting it with new blood.
Please keep up your work!

Best regards
Liviu