Fwd: [Promotion] Rolling up things

[Jeff Waugh]

<quote who="Thilo Pfennig">

> So: Technically on  many levels we can be satisfied with what we have
> accomplished so far - but there is no common free desktop user experience.
> And this is in my believe on of the main reasons why many people do not
> use free desktops - they do not want to make choices - they only want a
> desktop and software that serves their needs. Simple as that.

So, in that case, what is the point of "marketing" both, co-operatively or
not? :-) If there is some commonly held belief in the idea that we should
aim to "fight our real competitors, not our philosophical kin", how can we
use that in practical terms? What can KDE *practically* offer GNOME in the
"fight" against powerful incumbents, and vice versa? Consider this question
as a thought experiment more than a challenge. Unless there are practical
benefits to this kind of costly collaboration, we're better off focusing on
our individual strength and success, while not inflicting damage on the
wider community (which goes beyond GNOME and KDE, as noted in the previous
email).

If your hopes for the future of Software Freedom lie in a merger of GNOME
and KDE as a "common free desktop user experience", I'd urge you to look
more widely at the opportunities we are presented with. :-)

As the success of Software Freedom marches on, both GNOME and KDE will be
irrelevant (in their current forms) before they would ever combine... and
this will be a good thing.

- Jeff

-- 
Open CeBIT 2007: Sydney, Australia              http://www.opencebit.com.au/
 
   "Consensus is whatever the developers remember or agree with." - Paul
                            Vixie, Open Sources