Bug#658783: MATE Desktop Environment in Debian
Hi Dimitry,
>Even worse, this will increase the incompatibility between
>different desktops. For example, an app making use of "gconftool-2" will
>not work when there's "mateconftool-2" in the system instead.
Is this said from experience??? I have no problem using gnome apps
along side with
mateconftool-2.
All of the GNOME core applications have been ported in mate to use
mateconftool.
>If you want to fix a bug in GNOME libraries, you should propose a patch
>to their bugzilla, they will be happy to accept it.
This is of course only possible in an IDEAL world where logic and listening
govern. Unfortunately, we live in a suboptimal world, where CHOICE compensate
for.
>Also, we try to remove existing packages that use deprecated libraries
>(like libgnome* and libbonobo*), and I think it's not good at all to add
>new packages relying on those libraries.
A library has become depreciated only because it's upstream maintainer
has decided not keep maintaining it. Depreciation is not some uncontrolled
nature force.
When a library becomes depreciated you could choose either stop using it,
or you fork it and keep using it while maintaining it.
In this case libgnome, with all it's technical disadvantages will keep
living as libmate.
So bug fixing that should have gone to gnome developers should land on
the ears of
mate developers. Hopefully, they will be more responsive than GNOME developers.
>From my experience so far, it is the case.
In the mean while, 3 Major distributions are offering MATE:
Arch, LinuxMint, and now Fedora [1]. Debian should not make it hard
to to users to choose.
Debian should encourage freedom and freedom means choice, even though if we
have to work hard for those choices [2]
Best Regards,
Oz
[1] http://ostatic.com/blog/fedora-gets-mate-and-new-server
[2] The easier choice is to shut down all Debian servers and buy that other OS.
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