Re: Debian and GNOME, partnership with Helixcode?
Hello guys,
I just got forwarded a few messages from a discussion that is going
on at the Debian lists, let me reply:
First of all, this fragment --which started the whole debate-- is
completely wrong:
> I assisted today to a conference by Miguel de Icaza here in Madrid,
> it seems he is running a new business namde Helixcode
> (http://www.helixcode.com) which will be working for GNOME. In the
> conference he said that the GNOME developers do not want to make debian
> packages because "they are too difficult". But he also did not understand
> why distributions carry out old version of GNOME.
What I said was that Helix could not make GNOME packages for Debian
for the "Helix GNOME Preview Release 1", not that the GNOME developers
did not want to make them.
I am going to repeat because it seems Javier did not understand even
when I spoke in spanish:
Helix Code could not produce Debian packages for Helix GNOME Preview 1
because it was too hard to get them on time.
The GNOME project is a completely different entity.
GNOME is the project to bring new technologies to Unix
Helix Code is the company that is writing GNOME-based productivity
applications for GNOME, and happens to have a binary distribution of
GNOME for various GNU/Linux distributions.
Helix Code is the one that could not produce the Debian packages on
time.
The GNOME project does not produce binaries. Not for Debian, not
for Red Hat, not for anything else. From time to time we get .spec
files and debian/ directories, but we do not maintain them, nor do
we keep track of them.
More:
> > > There seems to be a lack of communication. Either the Debian packagers
> > > are not contributing their work upstream or the Gnome hackers are refusing
> > > to take it. I'm sure neither group really wants that.
> >
> > See my comment previously. I really think that if a developer can't
> > follow closely a distribution, she should let the distribution maintainers
> > do the work.
>
> Miguel said they didn't make .debs because it was too hard. What is so
> hard that intelligent people can't follow? We have lots of documentation.
> development tools like dh_make and debhelper, QA tools like Lintian, lot's
> and lots of prior art.
I have to point out a few things:
1. Debian directories exist for all packages that the Debian
maintainers have requested to maintain in the GNOME CVS.
2. I do not have anything to do with those packages.
3. My comment on Debian packages that I made in the Spain conference
was that Helix did not release in the "Helix GNOME Preview 1"
GNOME packages for Debian because it was too hard for us to make
them. We did not have the resources to attack the problem,
although that was one of the original plans.
If you want to help the Helix hackers to get Helix GNOME packages for
Debian, then subscribe to the spidermonkey mailing list at Helix Code,
and offer your help to our developers.
Our developers (the Helix developers) were working around the clock
(Jacob even spent one day 56 hours awake) to get Helix GNOME out. And
yes, supporting Debian for preview 1 would have just delayed Preview 1
a few weeks for no good reason. In the future, there will be time to
handle Debian.
I do not know why you guys did not contact me directly if you had any
doubts.
Miguel.
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