Fwd: [Promotion] Rolling up things

[Thilo Pfennig]

2006/12/18, Jeff Waugh <jdub at perkypants.org>:

>  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).

I think GNOME and KDE itself should each position themselves as one
possibilty, one platform to work as developer or user with a free
desktop environment. What I think is happening if we do not work on
this autoamtically and I consider harmful, is that the desktops are
seen as competitors and as such compete in media attention and
delpoyments. This in fact means that the successes they each have will
be at the cost of the other desktop.

I think that most importantly we should work (technically and from
media visibility) on a common free desktop experience for users and
developers. I think that the Tango desktop project is a perfect
example of what I want to suggest. This is neither a GNOME desktop
project, nor a KDE desktop project. Red Hat also worked on such things
with Bluecurve.

But I think we can not cut out the theme/icon issue. The different
icon metaphors taht have developed come from different philosophies
and marketing and communication inside the communities. These
different discussions lead to different results. I can not see how
this `freedesktop-promo` initiative can be seen as costly? Indeed I
think it is more costly to develop two desktops with different
attributes and than having to correct these afterwards through
freedesktop.org. the idea to a basic set of a freedesktop HIG has come
up some times and I think that this would be a good idea. Although
some might not like it.

Anybody knows the status of the Desktop Linux Consortium (
http://www.desktoplinuxconsortium.com/). Looks dead from my
perspective (last news from 2005). I think they had some interesting
goals (http://www.desktoplinuxconsortium.com/?page=about) but i have
never heard anything about them. Also I think that two organisations
(freedesktop.org and consortium) may be a bit overkill in this field.

Jeff, i did not suggest that we take forces away from software
development of each project just to sit together and hold hands - what
I rather suggested was to cooperate not also on the technical level
but also on marketing because all will benefit if we are not seen as
competitors. And this will only be seen so if we do this conciously
and also have some projects that increase the free desktop experience.
With combined forces also some marketing efforts would be possible and
i am also sure that some distributions will rather put more money into
the desktops if they would not have the feeling that one desktop might
loose in the end. I think it still is *very* costly on many ends that
both desktops are recognized as competitors. This would be different
if we had one clear dominant desktop (which I would not think would be
good, either) - and we all know that propably none of both will go
away. So to act like there is no alternative is not to recognize
reality - and users see both (and more) anyway. So it is more of a
self-illusion. And I do not mean that you do not know that there is
another desktop, but you are argumenting as there would not be
another. I know that would make the world easier, but fact is that
wour world is NOT flat. ;-)

Thilo


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