xc/programs considered harmful

[Stuart Kreitman]

Daniel Stone wrote:

>On Fri, 2004-12-17 at 17:34 +0100, Roland Mainz wrote:
>  
>
>>Daniel Stone wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Does anyone realistically care about[0] the following directories:
>>>xc/programs/xterm
>>>      
>>>
>>xterm is being used and should stay exactly at that place. Even when the
>>only reason is to avoid screwing-up the CVSblame.
>>    
>>
>
>Can we please move it to extras/, to reflect the fact that pretty much
>all we do is import from its upstream, Thomas Dickey?
>  
>
I have experience that renaming or moving long-lived file structures
usually increases, not decreases, overall confusion.

>
>I would be happy to formally propose the move of these to the modular
>tree.
>  
>
The modular tree methodology is not clear- is there a roadmap
for the transition?  What does it mean to move sources to the modular
tree? Let's just say there will be a 6.8.3 before modular is ready.
Would xterm Not ship in 6.8.3?

>It is not to cause trouble to anyone.  If we are to move to the modular
>tree, we can't just expect it to sort of happen the week before the
>release or something.  The work needs to start (no -- we have working
>client-side libraries and a server; let's say 'continue') now.  If you
>wish to keep the monolithic structure and not transition to a modular
>tree, please let me know and we can have that debate.  But I think there
>is universal consensus on where we need to go (modular), and how to get
>there (gradually transition applications out of the monolithic tree).
>  
>
"Universal consensus" is such an absolute and hard line position
to take, I wonder how well it plays considering that our most productive
minds have had so many other important issues to deal with.
You can say that Modular is not getting shouted down every time
the word is uttered, but that's because the argument has gone around
in circles and its not worthwhile to bleet on.  AFAIK Modular hasn't 
received enough effort for its proponents to be able to say "Look at 
this, its a better idea, and you can now see for yourself".  The Modular
proponents need to increase their own value but not by diminishing the
value of Monolithic.


Stuart Kreitman