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Re: Debian and GNOME, partnership with Helixcode?



On Tue, Mar 14, 2000 at 06:29:06PM -0500, Jaldhar H. Vyas wrote:
> 
> [Disclaimer: I am an avid KDE user though not (yet) a developer]
> 
> On Tue, 14 Mar 2000, Javier Fdz-Sanguino Pen~a wrote:
> 
> > 
> > 	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".
> 
> Is Miguel unlucky in the kind of press he gets or just a walking FUD
> machine?  Certainly to this observer he seems to make more
> uninformed/inflammatory remarks than your average free software
> personality.
> 

	Maybe he is. His *exact* words where (translated freely from
spanish): "We asked our developers if they could make Debian packages. They
cried, yelled, fell to the floor... it seems that making Debian packages is
too difficult"

> > 2.- Maybe Debian could do something in order to make easier for GNOME
> > developers to build Debian packages... where is really the barrier for
> > making Debian packages?
> > 
> 
> The KDE packages in CVS contain Debian directories.  They are not always
> perfect but allow anyone tracking KDE development to build packages.  So
> for me it doesn't matter that KDE snapshots aren't available directly from
> Debian.  I can make my own.
> 
> That's all that needs to be done with Gnome.  

	I do not agree. If there were more communication GNOME<->Debian
maybe the people in GNOME could become Debian developers, understand the
policy and make themselves the packages to be included in Debian.

> 
> > 3.- Debian possibly needs more promotion regarding people in Helix, thy seem
> > to be working with RedHat and making their own packages instead of using
> > Debian and the packages already available! 
> > 
> 
> 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.

	Who's currently working this path? Are there people from GNOME in
Debian currently?

> 
> > 	How about talking with Helix to become a Helix DesktopPartner? (see 
> > http://www.helixcode.com/desktop/partners.php3)
> > 
> 
> Bad idea.  Individual developers can and probably should work with Helix
> etc. but Debian as a project should not take a stand for or against any
> desktop until one clearly emerges as the winner.  (and when and if it
> does, it will be KDE ha ha.)

	I do not think that talking to another project is taking a stand.
Debian *should* have people talking with KDE and GNOME and giving support to
both sides, if Debian makes it difficult for this people to work with Debian
we are loosing the needed desktops.

> 
> Btw Why is this on private?

	Because it is not nice to talk of other people begind their backs in
public ?

	Javi


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