Comments on: On GNOME: Gruber’s Wrong, But That Doesn’t Make Me Right http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2008/10/14/gruber_gnome/ because technology is just another ecosystem Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:19:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: James http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2008/10/14/gruber_gnome/comment-page-1/#comment-478713 James Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:22:04 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/?p=2416#comment-478713 Of course, there are genuinely crap bits of Linux interface design. For me the most irritating ones are: 1) GtkFileChooser (hint to Firefox users: about:config, ui.allow_platform_file_picker, false) 2) The lack of "Cancel" buttons on various GNOME settings dialogs. Of course, there are genuinely crap bits of Linux interface design. For me the most irritating ones are:
1) GtkFileChooser (hint to Firefox users: about:config, ui.allow_platform_file_picker, false)
2) The lack of “Cancel” buttons on various GNOME settings dialogs.

]]> By: Hoagus http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2008/10/14/gruber_gnome/comment-page-1/#comment-478121 Hoagus Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:40:26 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/?p=2416#comment-478121 Gruber's right. Google should develop their own front end for the desktop. That doesn't mean KDE and Gnome aren't valid for their own purposes. With their own front end, Google could could embed those services it feels would make for the best 'net experience, without worrying whether the KDE and Gnome folks approve. Or RMS. Hoag Gruber’s right. Google should develop their own front end for the desktop. That doesn’t mean KDE and Gnome aren’t valid for their own purposes.

With their own front end, Google could could embed those services it feels would make for the best ‘net experience, without worrying whether the KDE and Gnome folks approve. Or RMS.

Hoag

]]> By: G Fernandes http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2008/10/14/gruber_gnome/comment-page-1/#comment-478102 G Fernandes Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:00:51 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/?p=2416#comment-478102 Well, I'd disagree with your interpretation that GNOME (and KDE) aren't designed for the internet. For one, services like GMail and Google Calendar can be consumed by standard applications in both desktops. So why not Flickr (or any other web service) you ask? Well, the primary reason that services like Google Mail and Google Calendar can be consumed is standards-based protocols - IMAP and iCalendar respectively. As more services move towards standards-based protocols - and as more specific protocols are born and adopted - you will see more of this happening. You mention the various IM protocols and how they're supported, but fail to mention how hard it is to guarantee support as every time ICQ or AOL or MSN or Yahoo change their proprietary protocol, that service is not supported until reverse-engineered and patched. Contrast this with Google IM which uses is based on the Jabber Protocol. The question then, isn't really about what GNOME (or KDE) is doing to bake the internet it. The question really should be why are there proprietary, closed protocols that make it hard for systems to exchange data over the internet? Until that question is addressed, theres little chance of any improvement in the status-quo. It's only services that are based on standards that will have client consumers built-in and ready for use in any OS/Desktop environment. Well, I’d disagree with your interpretation that GNOME (and KDE) aren’t designed for the internet. For one, services like GMail and Google Calendar can be consumed by standard applications in both desktops. So why not Flickr (or any other web service) you ask? Well, the primary reason that services like Google Mail and Google Calendar can be consumed is standards-based protocols – IMAP and iCalendar respectively. As more services move towards standards-based protocols – and as more specific protocols are born and adopted – you will see more of this happening.

You mention the various IM protocols and how they’re supported, but fail to mention how hard it is to guarantee support as every time ICQ or AOL or MSN or Yahoo change their proprietary protocol, that service is not supported until reverse-engineered and patched. Contrast this with Google IM which uses is based on the Jabber Protocol.

The question then, isn’t really about what GNOME (or KDE) is doing to bake the internet it. The question really should be why are there proprietary, closed protocols that make it hard for systems to exchange data over the internet? Until that question is addressed, theres little chance of any improvement in the status-quo. It’s only services that are based on standards that will have client consumers built-in and ready for use in any OS/Desktop environment.

]]> By: Josh Adams http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2008/10/14/gruber_gnome/comment-page-1/#comment-477755 Josh Adams Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:48:19 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/?p=2416#comment-477755 I think that there should be no reason to fear integrating things like google services, etc. into GNOME. Sure, they aren't open. Neither was AIM. But pidgin/libpurple/empathy/the like sure got fun when jabber came on the scene, right? So embrace usability (a-la gaim cum pidgin) and abstract away the ugly service so you can bolt on an open one later. Then you can have parallel development, because serial development is not a wise use of open source spare cycles. I think that there should be no reason to fear integrating things like google services, etc. into GNOME. Sure, they aren’t open. Neither was AIM. But pidgin/libpurple/empathy/the like sure got fun when jabber came on the scene, right? So embrace usability (a-la gaim cum pidgin) and abstract away the ugly service so you can bolt on an open one later.

Then you can have parallel development, because serial development is not a wise use of open source spare cycles.

]]>