Re: Upload Quality Was: Re: OpenOffice
On Fri, Aug 10, 2001 at 04:35:09AM +0100, David Starner wrote:
> It's an operating system.
it's an operating system that includes a whole bunch of applications.
> > OO sounds like it's a lot buggier than most applications (not
> > surprising since it used to be commercial/proprietary code) but the
> > only way it's going to conform to the standards expected of free
> > software is if people work on it and test it.
>
> When you've got a program that's almost done, I can write a helpful
> bug report without much trouble. "I tried typing in an 80-character
> word, and it ran off screen instead of wrapping." If it's a work in
> process, I can't. "It crashed on startup." "Where did it crash on
> startup?" Well, I'm not in a mood to download a large source ball,
> spend hours compiling, and hope it still crashes in the same place so
> I can catch it with GDB. If someone is in that mood, they're probably
> willing to download it from upstream and compile it.
mozilla was in that state until recently.
so was most of gnome.
and most of kde.
and many other applications and tools.
should they have been excluded from debian until they're perfect? if so,
then we can reduce the size of debian by about 99% just by deleting all
the imperfect programs.
the fact that these programs were easily available in packaged format
to non-developers was one of the reasons that they improved so rapidly.
more users, more eyes, more bug reports, and even a few more patches.
i personally don't have much (if any) use for Open Office - but i see no
reason to exclude it from debian just because you or i have no use for it.
the only criteria for inclusion in debian is, and always has been:
1. can we legally distribute it?
2. can someone be bothered putting in the effort to package it?
if you don't like or want a program, then feel free to ignore it. you
don't have to install it just because it has been packaged.
craig
--
craig sanders <cas@taz.net.au>
Fabricati Diem, PVNC.
-- motto of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch
Reply to: