Re: About The GNOME Mobile & Embedded Initative

[Behdad Esfahbod <behdad behdad org>]

On Sun, 2007-04-22 at 12:27 +0200, Thilo Pfennig wrote:
> On 4/21/07, Sriram Ramkrishna <sri aracnet com> wrote:
> > On Sat, Apr 21, 2007 at 03:19:48PM +0200, Thilo Pfennig wrote:
> 
> 
> > > c) In relation to that i fear that this binds ressources that
> > > otherwise would have been there for the core desktop.
> >
> > The people doing embedded GUI are already captured resources and
> > are now being paid to work on GNOME whether embedded or otherwise.
> 
> Ok, thats a ood point. But still it is a switch in focus, isn't it?

Not at all.  What is our focus in the first place?  What is GNOME
anyway?  I see the following answers:

  - 10x10.  OLPC and embedded are the only feasible way we can make
10x10 in what is less than three years..  Most desktop users have an OS
already...

  - GNOME is two things: the platform and the desktop.  We win by the
platform is good enough that ISVs start developing on it, not by making
the desktop Rock so hard.  If people can't run software they want on it,
they will not use it.  GMAE is exactly pushing the platform further.  If
you notice, the companies involved in GMAE have at least four different
platforms for application development on top of the GNOME platform.  So
this is not about developing apps for mobile devices.  It's about where
GNOME and the embedded companies meet: the GNOME platform.

  - And who said the focus of the GNOME desktop is desktop computers
anyway?!  If in ten years nobody uses what we call desktop/laptop today,
is GNOME deprecated?  Of course not.  The world is moving toward smaller
devices.

Even if it was a switch of focus, that's not a problem.  Like others
said in the thread, in GNOME, and in most OpenSource projects, marketing
follows development, not the other way around.  And btw, the embedded
companies have put lots of new blood in cairo development.  That can't
be bad.  Same about Gtk+.


>  I
> understand that no every project can be talked about publically but
> the question is if such a major step should not be discussed inside a
> broader part of the public. I do not mean the details of  the deal but
> about the changes that are implied. Ok, if all will follow (developers
> and users) this will work. But if not we would have a deal that does
> not work. Ok maybe I am being too sceptical.

And what is that "major step" anyway?  Putting a name to an ongoing
effort.  Seriously, this event was more about publicity than any change
withing GNOME.

And isn't in fact, the fact that it's got a name, the very proof that
GNOME as a whole is not changing focus?  It's GMAE, not GNOME!  "Gmae
Maybe wAs gnomE", not anymore :-P.


> The thing about focus is difficult. Web applications are also part of
> the desktop - but is currently not really on our focus.

That's in fact emerging too.  And that's got a name too.  GNOME Online
Desktop (GOD).


> So question is: Does GNOME just go where the money is or does GNOME
> have a vision? These are point that should not be excluding each
> other, but I think its important to know how things are moving or are
> decided.

GNOME goes where its members go.  Anything else will not be GNOME.
Look around.  See who all these GNOME people you interact with work for.


> I think we had lengthy discussions in the past how GNOME marketing
> should be and also we talked about who we should talk to. As it comes
> out it looks like the REAL marketing has not much todo with what we
> discussed. That said I dont think that this is generally bad. But I
> think our discussions and what we do should reflect each other.
> 
> If I look at GnomeMarketing page this does not reflect our new focus.
> I do not see embedded hardware vendors as a primary target group. This
> means that we did not see this coming? Or maybe it just means that
> those who saw it never entered any informations about it.
>
> This makes any marketing discussion based on old goals and assumptions
>  senseless and shallow.

No.  We still want that Desktop of Happy People poster.  We will also
produce GMAE posters.  Nothing changed.  New stuff added.


> Thilo

-- 
behdad
http://behdad.org/

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 Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
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