Re: GNOME size, build systems and pervasiveness

["Ken VanDine" <ken vandine org>]

I really don't think this has anything to do with gnome build systems or "size" of gnome.  Even if we made it easier to build gnome in a build system, that doesn't  help packagers.  Packagers have a different set of problems when it comes to building gnome, and the bottom line is if they want to ship gnome they will do it.  It isn't hard at all...  Only gripe I have is changing buildRequires... that takes a little work to track.

--Ken

> On Oct 27, 2008 7:57 AM, "Thilo Pfennig" <tp pfennigsolutions de> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I am asking this on this list because here are also some developers but
> its not really a development question:
>
> >From what I have read in the past on Slackwares decision to not provide
> GNOME any more t the state of GNOME on OpenBSD (generally
> undermaintained) my current conclusion is that as GNOME has grown in the
> number of modules and code lines and dependencies it has increasingly
> become hard to maintain, especially if distributions do not use a GNOME
> build system. This leads to either distribution not providing GNOME
> themselves, not using as primary desktop or for poor quality. on OpenBSD
> for example every package seems to have a different version (from 2.18.x
> to 2.22.x).
>
> So one could blame those distros, but I think that there is a bigger
> underlying problem. GNOME has added functionality and dependencies but
> has not being able to make the life of distributions easier, yet. This
> is also a marketing problem. There is now the GNOME Mobile platform
> which is much smaller - and my question is if this will result also
> maybe in the GNOME core being more slick? Or should GNOME itself go onto
> a reducing diet by simplifying the code base with goals like reducing
> the amount of dependencies or modules?
>
> Where is GNOME moving in relation of size and maintainability? Is there
> a chance to get things simplified? I think with simplification like
> Epiphany once did when coming from Galeon. Is it possible to build
> something like the GNOME Mobile Desktop also as a usable small
> alternative to the larger traditional GNOME? If so I would think that
> this would be a great chance for GNOME to regain some ground on
> distributions that already had given up on GNOME?
>
> In the past I have seen some efforts to reduce power consumption, RAM
> usage, CPU usage, etc.. But I was thinking if maybe the underlying
> problem is more and more modules and functionality? Funnily many
> applications that are most often used like Firefox,Thunderbird or
> OpenOffice.org do not even require you to use GNOME.  As I already said
> my insight in the code base is limitted, but maybe somebody can clear
> this up, also for the records Do we have such a problem or do we not?
> And if so what is happening in the GNOME world to target the problem?
>
> Regards and thanks in advance,
> Thilo
>
> --
> Thilo Pfennig - PfennigSolutions IT-Beratung- Wiki-Systeme
> Sandkrug 28 - 24143 Kiel (Germany)
> http://www.pfennigsolutions.de/
> XING: https://www.xing.com/profile/Thilo_Pfennig -
> LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tpfennig
>
>
> --
> marketing-list mailing list
> marketing-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/marketing-list