Re: About the future of X (Windows)

[linas linas org (Linas Vepstas)]

Well, what is the status?  Is there a large body of patches which
XFree86 has been ignoring/dissing?  In this case, there should be
some sort of 'experimental' branch where these can be integrated, 
tested & developed.   There are multiple versions of the Linux kernel,
and that seems fine.  Or is this a fundamental disagreement with
direction?  e.g. have the current maintainers said something like 
'we will never integrate such a thing, ever'?

Maybe this is competition between two proposals that implement
more-or-less the same function?  I participated in the X11 
double-buffer vs. multi-buffer debate, and while it was irritating,
either proposal would have been 'adequate', and the debate was more 
or less healthy, based on technical merit. 

If there are extensions that KDE would use, but Gnome wouldn't, (or vv)
what are they?  Why wouldn't both GUI's have a generic interest in the
same X11 extensions (maybe deploying on different timeframes)?

The debate seems to be about XML.  Exactly what benefit is there
in adding XML to X11?  In what sense does this 'move X11 forward'?
How do we get enough info to take sides?

--linas

On Thu, Mar 20, 2003 at 09:58:32PM +0100, Christian Fredrik Kalager Schaller was heard to remark:
> Well afaik a part (no idea how large/small) of this disagreement is the
> wish by some to use technologies such as libxml for X. As such I feel
> that GNOME should come out in support for the forces who wish to move X
> forward by using existing infrastructure, like libxml, since it will
> probably quicken development and increase opportunities for integration.
> 
> On Thu, 2003-03-20 at 20:27, Andy Tai wrote:
> > Shouldn't GNOME stay out of it as much as possible,
> > that GNOME and competitors (like KDE) both depend on
> > X11 and GNOME's involvement  may make matter massier. 
> > Unless, unless,  GNOME and KDE touch base first, both
> > being the users of XFree86, both sharing the interests
> > of having a stable base for free software GUI systems,
> > and a coordinated approach between KDE and GNOME is
> > taken in regard to the XFree86 issues. If both KDE and
> > GNOME desire XFree86 to stay unified, for example, the
> > political pressure should make XFree86 people think
> > twice about forking.  
> > 
> > --- Daniel Veillard <veillard redhat com> wrote:
> > >   Speaking strictly personally...
> > > 
> > >   The XFree86 Board of Directors made public the
> > > fact that a split
> > > of the X Windows software we are using for GNOME on
> > > most plateforms
> > > is likely to take place [1]. Of course the success
> > > of the GNOME project
> > > is tied to the availability of a well maintained X
> > > code base, and an
> > > organization as supportive as possible of the needs
> > > for desktop deployment.
> > >   I am not an X expert, but what I heard from
> > > various parties is
> > > that like in the gcc/egcs fork such a split might be
> > > needed to speed up
> > > the developments which are needed for GNOME and
> > > other projects and 
> > > possibly get a more open process for maintaining the
> > > X code base. So
> > > it seems it might be a good thing actually. However
> > > I think the foundation
> > > membership should have the opportunity to voice
> > > concern or support on this
> > > issue before the board makes any statement on this.
> > > So if you have
> > > strong opinion about this I think this is the right
> > > time to argue
> > > publicly about it :-)
> > > 
> > > Daniel
> > > 
> > > [1]
> > >
> > http://www.xfree86.org/pipermail/forum/2003-March/000001.html
> > > 
> > > -- 
> > > Daniel Veillard      | Red Hat Network
> > > https://rhn.redhat.com/
> > > veillard redhat com  | libxml GNOME XML XSLT toolkit
> > >  http://xmlsoft.org/
> > > http://veillard.com/ | Rpmfind RPM search engine
> > > http://rpmfind.net/
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > foundation-list mailing list
> > > foundation-list gnome org
> > >
> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-list
> > 
> > 
> > =====
> > Andy Tai, atai atai org
> > Free Software: the software by the people, of the people and for the people! Develop! Share! Enhance! Enjoy!
> > _______________________________________________
> > foundation-list mailing list
> > foundation-list gnome org
> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-list
> -- 
> Christian Fredrik Kalager Schaller <Uraeus linuxrising org>
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> foundation-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/foundation-list

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pub  1024D/01045933 2001-02-01 Linas Vepstas (Labas!) <linas linas org>
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