Re: The Goal of Gnome

[Richard Stallman <rms gnu org>]

The aim of Gnome is to be a graphic desktop for the GNU operating
system.  That's the purpose for which we launched Gnome.

There is no hard and fast limit for what kinds of programs a Unix-like
operating system can contain.  (The first GNU Chess came out around
1989.)  Likewise, a desktop can contain all sorts of graphical
packages.  There is no precise boundary for what _can_ be included.

But there are essential things that _must_ be included.  A Unix-like
system has to have a C library, and its desktop has to contain a
toolkit library such as GTK+.  The desktop would be sort of pitiful
if it did not contain a file navigator, system control panels, etc.
Naturally, Gnome has them.

However, it wouldn't make sense for non-graphic, non-desktop programs
to be included in Gnome.  It would be more natural to classify them
elsewhere.

-- 
Dr Richard Stallman
President, Free Software Foundation (gnu.org, fsf.org)
Internet Hall-of-Famer (internethalloffame.org)
Skype: No way! See stallman.org/skype.html.