Re: A question to the candidates

[Philip Van Hoof <pvanhoof gnome org>]

On Sun, 2012-05-27 at 11:21 +0200, Gil Forcada wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> First of all thanks for running for this critical role on GNOME!
> 
> My question is about hardware and contacts:
> 
> The average user is not going to ever install its own operating system
> by itself, for them hardware and software come together and they die
> together, so a new version of Windows means a new laptop and so on, a
> new iPhone OS means a new iPhone hardware...

> So the crucial part here are ISV, contacting them, engaging with them
> and finally making them ship our great software to the end user.

Note that in my view is lack of such a well supported context for
businesses in the GNOME community what led to the switch from Gtk+ to Qt
during the Fremantle to Harmattan platforms at Nokia. Now its history of
course, but reflecting on it wouldn't be a bad exercise.

In mobile and embedded is Qt in high demand. Here you can find a Qt job
quite easily. I can effectively name 3 or 4 companies that are looking
for a C++/Qt developer nearby Brussels and Antwerp. None for Gtk+. Of
course with Nokia more or less stopping with Qt is demand for Qt also
lower as before. But Gtk+ isn't filling up the gap. I rather notice that
commercial activity in mobile and embedded is going back to the Windows
platform, to Android and to iOS. Even Flash is more often used on
embedded than Gtk+. How bad can it get?

You can have all the ideologies about freedom and free software you
want, and it seems to be the only though question being asked to the
candidates this year, but without enough commercial activity around the
GNOME platform like we had during the 770, N800, N810 and N900 will the
amount of people working on it, will students lose interest and will
future innovation in it be low.

I think this is GNOME's bigger-picture problem: its hostility towards
ISVs and commercial activity.

> Is that something that you both find important and also will try to
> pursue if you are elected?
> 
> Cheers,

-- 


Philip Van Hoof
Software developer
Codeminded BVBA - http://codeminded.be