Re: Not for me and maybe a lot of other people

[Jeff Waugh <jdub perkypants org>]

<quote who="llk iburst co za">

> I get the designated 'stable' garnome release 2.14 and tried to get it to
> work. It did not.

Before replying to the rest of your mail, it's worth pointing out that using
GARNOME is not for the light-hearted - it is really designed for testers and
developers of GNOME who are pretty wired in to what's going on in GNOME plus
ready and willing to handle breakage as it comes. Good to keep that in mind.
I'd recommend trying GNOME as provided by one of our awesome distributors.

> 1. Is the current approach not one of a bloated system? 2.6GB and
> counting....

GARNOME builds with full debugging symbols, so testers can provide useful
bug reports when things go wrong. GNOME as installed by a distributor is
much smaller (for example, Ubuntu ships a complete desktop with more than
just GNOME on a single install CD).

> 2. If I don't need connection to M$ Exchange why would must I be forced to
> build that into GNOME?  Is that not like M$'s approach with the IE
> controversy of a few years back?

Not sure why it would be like Microsoft abusing their monopoly with IE, but
building the evolution-exchange tarball is entirely optional.

> 3. Although I used glasses to read, I don't need a magnifier and/or
> Braille!

You might not need them, and you can choose to not build them, but these are
crucial features for visual/motor-impaired users, and included in GARNOME so
testers can make sure they are working correctly.

> 4. Do you know how difficult it is to find a solution to a compilation
> problem and then you read statements which sound like "Take it or leave
> it...".  That is the first policy of M$.

garnome-list is extremely helpful, particularly for those who are getting
involved in testing GNOME. In general, users shouldn't need to build GNOME,
so it's not something we really optimise our support for.

> 5. Although English is not my language of choice, I don't want all of the 
> rest, like spanish, french, mandarin, etc.  Why not give one the option at 
> the beginning to select the ones you want?  I don't build on my machine for 
> the world.

You can do that. :-)

> Well I gave you my five cents.  Enjoy the process, but you are going to
> have trouble to market GNOME as a viable alternative if the 'stable'
> version fails to compile.

People who just want to get their work done, and don't really care about
computers don't compile software - least of all their entire desktop and
platform stack! Worth keeping in mind that this is not a major use case for
mass adoption of Open Source or Free Software. :-)

Thanks,

- Jeff

-- 
linux.conf.au 2007: Sydney, Australia           http://lca2007.linux.org.au/
 
    "Women are too irrational to be crazed killers anyway." - Angus Lees