Re: Gnome 2.12 & Python
On Sat, Oct 29, 2005 at 02:25:51PM -0600, Dave Loftis wrote:
> I think that the idea of a spiderweb of dependencies in the core of an
> operating environment is a bad idea. A system like Gnome ought, in my
> opinion, to depend only on X on other *ux core libraries, and on
> things that it builds itself. Creating dependencies to multiple coding
> environments (e.g., Python or hypothetically Java, etc) will create
> problems as those dependencies change, and as Gnome changes.
It is the duty of the distribution to ensure that those dependencies are
handled in a clean way.
GNOME upstream has decided to allow new modules programmed in Python
into the desktop release. Considering the political issues regarding
Mono and Java, this seems a wise move to me, as there definately seems
to be a need for a high-level language.
> I would like to be able to yank out of Debian packages only the core
> functionality of Gnome. I don't really want Games or most Widgets and
> stuff.
Install the relevant packages then, possibly rebuilding some stuff
without Python or other stuff.
Debian optimizes for the common user, not for power-users who should
know their way around and be able to customize their desktop anyway.
Or rather, it makes sense to ship a sane and feature-complete GNOME
desktop by default, while you can remove modules according to your
taste if you wish so (or have external constraints like storage
restrictions).
> I want the Gnome core (which, in a much further investigation) does
> not have Python in it,
This statement will be false by the time Etch releases, at least for
some values of "the Gnome core".
> Really, though, the decision seems to be at Gnome, not here, though.
Indeed.
Michael
--
Michael Banck
Debian Developer
mbanck@debian.org
http://www.advogato.org/person/mbanck/diary.html
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