Re: Questions

[Richard Stallman <rms gnu org>]

    I am concerned that the GNU project is a hindrance, not a help to open
    source software, mainly I say this because in a previous mail you stated
    that GNU had tried and failed twice to create a free desk top, and it's
    no secret that hurd is still not here.  

That seems like a pretty harsh standard to apply.  We don't bat 1000,
but neither does anyone else.  The GNU project has produced many
useful software packages, GNOME among them.

Anyway, if you're worried about these few instances, I can set your
mind at ease.

Our first desktop attempt was aborted because I had to put the
developer (an FSF staff employee) on another project just a few weeks
later.  (The Emacs maintainer was hired away and gave 2 weeks notice.)

The second attempt did not produce a desktop, but it was not a
failure.  We decided we needed a Scheme interpreter to do the job
right, so he worked on Guile first.  That work got done just about
when GNOME started.  Now GNOME makes substantial use of Guile.

The Hurd is also starting to be a success.  Debian GNU/Hurd works
pretty well, and interest in the Hurd is increasing along with its
reliability.

I wish I could say that every GNU software project has been a success,
but there have been failures.  The important thing, though, is not the
individual GNU packages but the whole GNU system.  We have a free
operating system now, so the GNU Project as a whole has reached its
basic goal.  Of course, there is a lot more to be done.