don't despair: chicken soup for the FUD

[sungod <as387 yfn ysu edu>]

gnome developers, i just thought it was high time i wrote in to thank
each of you for the wonderful progress that is being made in my favorite
desktop and to hopefully pass on a few words of encouragement (which is
the least i can do to contribute, since i don't code [yet]).

two observations i must point out after following gnome-list for quite
some time, and evangelizing it to the linux-aware public on irc and in
real life:

1. don't listen to the critics.

the critics say: "gnome requires too many libraries."

the truth is: gnome _is_ the set of libraries. all the apps you use are
really just pretty front-ends for all those libraries that provide
unified user interfaces, interoperability, and all sorts of other
buzzwords which are really quite good design ideas (imo). orbit, baboon,
xml libraries, etc. etc. make the total desktop much stronger as a
whole, and apps which utilize them to the fullest potential are the ones
that will become the most integral part of the gnome desktop. the
libraries make the project. don't let the critics stop you from
innovating, integrating, and unifying.

the critics say: "gnome is too hard to install."

the truth is: no fake, jake. gnome is still way alpha. it's in the
throes of development and of course that very process will mean plenty
of ironing out bugs, adding features, fixing stuff, and generally
causing a little bit of mayhem everywhere. it's part of the development
process, and anyone who isn't willing to put up with the growing pains
of alpha-stage software should just leave it alone until it's ready to
be put in a box all neatly wrapped with a pretty ribbon to boot. in the
meantime, you as developers have been cool enough to provide the
non-problem-fixers among us with rpm's and deb's to keep us satisfied
until the developmental stages are left behind.

the critics say: "gnome is too unstable."

the truth is: again, what should we expect from alpha software? i
personally, even as a non-coder, find it fascinating to watch the
process of development under an open-source model progress under my very
eyes. the critics in this case are other stupid non-coders who don't
understand that adding new features to any project means testing and
debugging those features before releasing for general consumption. those
who don't want to live on the bleeding edge shouldn't play with knives.

the critics say: gnome isn't unified enough. they don't use the base
libraries like they ought to.

the truth is: as long as those base libraries are still <1.0, it's
foolish to try to bind end-user app developers to a standard as the
standards themselves are moving targets. if i had a dime for every time
i heard somebody whine about the difficulty of finding a gnome-aware
window manager, i'd have enough money to pay a programmer to _make_ all
current open source window managers gnome-aware. i'm sure as the base
libraries are developed and become stable, the apps that don't adapt
will likely die out and ones that do use them and thereby work better
with (or more alike) their fellow gnome apps will thrive. again, that's
a natural expectation for alpha software and i fail to see how so many
people miss this obvious point.

observation 2: talk is cheap.

of all the proposals, the good ideas, and the valiant intentions i've
seen on this list, in others, and in irc and real life, the only ones
that make a showing on freshmeat.net and eventually on my desktop are
the ones that a programmer thought worthy of putting into code.
eventually, good ideas will find their own market, their own developers,
their own audience. i've noticed that you as developers tend not to pay
much attention to those of us who can't put our code where our mouths
are; i'd just like to remind you not to get discouraged by us either
when we criticize in our stupidity or try to dictate "the way it oughtta
be (tm)" in our ignorance. keep doing what you're doing. don't let us
manage your project into the ground.

all in all, thanks for a great desktop which serves me well as my daily
environment and helps me evangelize folks to linux in general and gnome
in specific. i'm really looking forward to watching development and
seeing final products emerge that put other environments and os's to
shame. keep up the good work.
--
"Yes, the president should resign. He has lied to the American
people,    
time and time again, and betrayed their trust. Since he has admitted 
guilt, there is no reason to put the American people through an 
impeachment. He will serve absolutely no purpose in finishing out his 
term; the only possible solution is for the president to save some
dignity
and resign." -12th Congressional District hopeful William Jefferson 
Clinton, during the Nixon investigations in 1972