Re: Section from "What's New in Fedora 28 Workstation?" article for Fedora Magazine

[Allan Day <aday gnome org>]

Thanks for reaching out about this, Link. I know from experience that
writing about contentious decisions can be tricky to get right.

Liam R. E. Quin <liam w3 org> wrote:
...
> Remember that the only people made happy by removing features generally
> are developers...

I agree with Liam here. Introducing features that users appreciate as
"technical debt" is only going to irritate them.

My suggestion would be to:

  1. Start with a more positive, user-centered, narrative: how the
Nautilus developers are working to improve the experience for users.
What they've done recently to do that, what they're planning to do.
  2. The current draft makes the removal sound like an implementation
failure rather than a technical design question. I think it's
important to explain it in terms of the intrinsic nature of icons on
the desktop - it's a very different file browsing experience.
  3. Stress that the Nautilus developers do care about those who use
icons on the desktop. Emphasise that alternatives have been
considered. Argue that the people using those alternatives is a better
option for them and for everyone as the code base moves forward.

Allan