Re: SFO call for action - aka questionnaire

[Pierre Hébert <pierrox pierrox net>]

Hi,

On Monday 29 June 2009, Nils Faerber wrote:
> 1. Please describe your background a little bit, i.e. what are you
> working on that made you interested in Gnome/mobile? If it helps us
> understand your background, who are you working for?

I am working as a software architect for a company specialized in mobile 
telephony, Myriad. My answers only reflect my personal point of view, 
not the one of my company.
I am attracted by mobile devices since a long time, but only began to 
play with a phone late 2006 when trying to port Linux on the Eten G500 
(a Windows Mobile device). While this project was primarily focused on 
the kernel, I found that the user software stack was also a very 
interesting field, with a lot of challenging parts. I recently worked on 
a sort of UI framework for mobile phone written with PyQt, AUIMD, but 
the project is currently on halt.
I have no special knowledge of Gnome, and to be honest I am a fervent 
user of KDE. However as I believe that Gnome components are perfect 
candidates for a powerful and open platform I suscribed to this list in 
order to learn more.


> When you first heard of Gnome/mobile:
> 2. What did you think it to be? Please be as frank as possible - what
> were your really *first* thoughts?

First I though Great !, that some gaps would rapidly be filled and that a 
structured framework would soon emerge. I also though that the idea to 
reuse and promote Gnome components on a mobile device was so evident 
that it was strange that it had not been done earlier.


> 3. What did you expect from it? What did you hope to see as a result
> from it?

I expected to see a better compatibility and interconnection between the 
phone and the rest of the (Linux) world, since components were open and 
already present on the desktop.
I expected to see easier development for the device, in using the desktop 
PC as a similar dev platform. For instance I imagined it would be 
possible to do the usual ./configure && make install && run stuff on the 
PC, and be confident in the fact that it would run (more or less) the 
same on the target.
I hoped that new applications/new use cases will soon be invented thanks 
to strong platform components.
I also hoped that a Gnome/mobile initiative would also benefit the 
desktop environment somehow (optimizations, modularisation, etc.)


> 4. Why did you join the group? Do you feel like a "member" at all? If
> not, why not?
I suscribed to the mailing list to learn more because there was not a lot 
to read on the web on Gnome/mobile. I was a bit disappointed not to see 
more concrete stuff, but however I though that since the project was 
rather new some discussions should take place on the list,  and that I 
may even help somewhere.
I don't feel like a member. In fact this is my first post to the list. I 
am actually a spectator.


> 5. Did it match your expectations? If not, why? If yes, how?
Not really, because I can't see Gnome/mobile in action.


> 6. Is there something like a top-three of most important goals that
> you (personally, not thinking of the group as a whole) would like to
> see addressed by Gnome/mobile? (Three would be great, one is enough
> too)

- I'd like to see something like a "reference implementation". This would 
be a demo of what Gnome/mobile is, possibly something to build upon. It 
could aim a virtual machine based on a standard distribution. For 
instance a downloadable kernel and disk image to run with QEmu would be 
a great start.
- definition of an application framework, adressing common problems found 
on a mobile device, such as specific UI needs, resources constraints, 
network management.
- a "Getting Started" documentation



> And today:
> 7. How do you perceive Gnome/mobile today? What is missing? What is
> too much? What is / could be Gnome/mobile's first priority goal? And
> second?

I see Gnome/mobile as a reflexion group. There is a need for more 
software actions and a need for regular updates because the mobile 
ecosystem is moving fast.


> Technically:
> 8. What do you think should qualify a platform for being a
> Gnome/mobile platform? A specific set of components used? If yes,
> which components?

In my opinion the presence of some key components is not enough to say 
that a given platform is a Gnome/mobile platform. There is a need for 
some mobile specific glue : how these components interact with each 
other is not always the same on a mobile device and on a desktop PC.  
Additionaly a Gnome/mobile platform should define an application 
framework and possibly include some key applications on top of the 
framework.


> 9. Or should there be a formal qualification process? If yes, what
> would be your idea about it? If not, why not?

No idea on this.


> 10. What should be the technology goals of Gnome/mobile? Like creating
> a toolbox rather than a product? Or collaboration and information
> infrastructure rather than a development project?

I don't think that creating a toolbox is enough : having tools but no 
application will not help the adoption of the platform. Gnome/mobile 
should also be able to integrate non Gnome components and help to 
improve them if needed.


> Organisation:
> 11. At the moment the Gnome/mobile group is a pretty loose group,
> everyone interested is welcome and can at once participate. Would you
> like to see this a little more formally structured? Like a formal
> membership, application process, levels of membership, voting
> processes, etc.? Or would like to see it grow as is, a group connected
> by ideas and consensus rather than rules? Other ideas?

I believe that at the moment the group should grow around common well 
defined ideas and goals, then it will be possible to add some structure 
later.


> Comments:
> 11. Anything else? Did we forget something? Any additional comments?
> Thoughts?

An update of the web page would be a good sign that things are evolving.
Thanks for raising this questionnaire !

Pierre.