Poettering: Revisiting how we put together Linux systems

Posted Sep 8, 2014 14:07 UTC (Mon) by Arker (guest, #14205)
In reply to: Poettering: Revisiting how we put together Linux systems by JGR
Parent article: Poettering: Revisiting how we put together Linux systems

You're feeling around in the dark but you're not too far off.

This is a problem that affects the entire market for computers, worldwide. Markets work well when buyers and sellers are informed. Buyers of computer systems, on the other hand, are for the most part as far from well informed as imaginable. A market where the buyers do not understand the products well enough to make informed choices between competitors is a market which has problems. And Free Software is part of that larger market.

And that's what we see with GNOME. The example we were discussing above had to do with the $home directory. The GNOME devs simply refuse to even try to do it right. Since none of them used shared $home directories, they did not see the problem, and had no interest in fixing it. And here is where the broken market comes in - because there were enough end users who like the GNOME devs did not understand how $home works and how it is to be used who simply did not understand why they should care.

And that's how the breakage created by a cluster of ADD spreads out to tear down the ecosystem generally. That's the path the herd is on right now. Anything that your 13 year old doesnt want to take the time to understand - it' s gone or going. A few more years of this and we will have computing systems setting world records for potential power and actual uselessness simultaneously.

Poettering: Revisiting how we put together Linux systems

Posted Sep 8, 2014 15:03 UTC (Mon) by pizza (subscriber, #46) [Link] (3 responses)

> Since none of them used shared $home directories, they did not see the problem, and had no interest in fixing it. And here is where the broken market comes in - because there were enough end users who like the GNOME devs did not understand how $home works and how it is to be used who simply did not understand why they should care.

I'm not quite sure what your point here is... you're basically blaming GNOME for the fact that its users are uninformed, and further, it's also GNOME's fault because those same uninformed users don't know enough to care about a philosophical argument under the hood about a situation those same uninformed users will never actually encounter?

> And that's how the breakage created by a cluster of ADD spreads out to tear down the ecosystem generally.

Please, lay off on the ad honimem insults.

Poettering: Revisiting how we put together Linux systems

Posted Sep 8, 2014 16:17 UTC (Mon) by Arker (guest, #14205) [Link] (2 responses)

"I'm not quite sure what your point here is... you're basically blaming GNOME for the fact that its users are uninformed, and further, it's also GNOME's fault because those same uninformed users don't know enough to care about a philosophical argument under the hood about a situation those same uninformed users will never actually encounter?"

I was not assessing blame, I was simply making you aware of the progression of events.

"Please, lay off on the ad honimem insults."

Please, learn to distinguish between ad honimem(sic) insults and statements of fact you find inconvenient or embarrasing.

Poettering: Revisiting how we put together Linux systems

Posted Sep 8, 2014 17:20 UTC (Mon) by pizza (subscriber, #46) [Link] (1 responses)

Y> "..breakage created by a cluster of ADD.."

> Please, learn to distinguish between ad honimem(sic) insults and statements of fact you find inconvenient or embarrasing.

Personally, I would be embarrased(sic) if I was the one who considered the above a statement of fact, and petulantly pointed out a spelling error while making one of your own.

But hey, thanks for the chuckle.

Poettering: Revisiting how we put together Linux systems

Posted Sep 8, 2014 17:34 UTC (Mon) by Arker (guest, #14205) [Link]

Petulance is entirely in your imagination, I guess that's your right, enjoy it.

The pattern of behavior from the GNOME project is indeed a fact, it's not disputable, the tracks are all over the internet and since it has been the same pattern for over a decade it certainly seems fair to expect it to continue. If you think you have an objection to that characterization that is legitimate, please feel free to put it forward concretely. Putting forward baseless personal accusations instead cuts no ice.