Cogs can think.

This has to be one of the most brilliant emails I have ever seen.

> Hi,
> The attached is a patch to gnome-about.c in libgnomeui
> for your consideration. It adds a line “GNU Network
> Object Model Environment” to the “about GNOME” dialog
> box, as well as a hyperlink from the word “GNU” to
> www.gnu.org. I think it is a good idea to show
> explicitly what “GNOME” stands for.

I thought it was generally considered that “GNOME” was really “Gnome”
and that the acronym was silently being consigned to the
“Really awful acronyms” chapter in the history books.

> Right now no
> where is the full name of GNOME displayed and that can
> be confusing to the new user. Tbis additional display
> also helps promoting the concept of Free Software.

How is it confusing to users?

As opposed to the confusion arising from seeing
“GNU Network Object Model Environment”
and thinking “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT????”

(Bear in mind, I’m in no way a ‘new user’
and I still think “WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT????”
whenever I’m presented with
GNU Network Object Model Environment)

iain

What’s funny is that I sometimes get in misunderstandings on mailing lists because especially Americans are offended by my traditional Dutch approach– get right down to business, no sugarcoating, no sweet talking, and maybe throw in a little (biting) sarcasm here and there. This email has the exact same style, and I like that.

If all OSS m-l’s were like that, they’d be a lot more productive.

Eugenia blogged about the stagnation in the Linux desktop world. One comment was rather interesting:

Hate to break it to you, but the KDE devs are planning big things for KDE4.

KDE developers are indeed planning big things for KDE4– but that’s what they’re stuck at. Show me where the results are. KDE4 was supposed to be fleshed out by now, with a release somewhere early 2007. However, if you now take a look at the latest KDE4 dev build– it’s just KDE3, but uglier. We’ve been hearing Plasma this and Appeal that for a very long time now; however, nothing Solid (ha ha ha) has emerged.

All the wonderful ideas behind KDE4 (and the accompanying slick websites) are just that– ideas and websites. There are no development builds that truly show these ideas in a usable state. KDE4 is supposed to be released in the first half of 2007, but if all they have to show now is KDE3+, KDE4 is more likely to see release somewhere in 2008– Q3/Q4 rather than Q1/Q2.

GNOME3 is in an even worse state, as Eugenia pointed out. There is literally nothing, not even one line of code. In fact, there are not even ideas, not even a vision; there are only some random thoughts and ideas by random people in random places.

In the meantime, Vista is close to shipping, a significant step forward both under the hood as well as graphically from Windows XP; it is truly something different from XP (no matter what the anti-MS fanboys want you to believe). Apple, on the other side of the spectrum, has continuously been improving its operating system, making it faster, adding new and sometimes even innovative features. Leopard is planned for the first half of 2007, and is supposed to have some major new features (even though we know nothing of these features, I think we can give Apple the benefit of the doubt on this one seeing their track record of delivering).

And all that KDE and GNOME have to offer are some vague ideas, some vague visions (and in the case of GNOME, not even that). The future seems grim.

Oh god.

Those poor children.

That’s one fcuked up UI.

Why don’t fonts on Linux look as good as this by default? Why do I have to manually fiddle for hours to get them to look this good?

I am not a developer, and I do not give a rat’s ass about ideological hippie crap when it comes to software.

So, now that we got that out of the way: GNOME and Mono. For 7 days now d-d-l has been going mental with a completely, utterly pointless discussion on whether or not to include Mono bindings in the vanilla GNOME package. Right-o.

Now, I am a user of GNOME and many Mono applications. GNOME always claims to cater to its users, right? Well then: GNOME developers, get a fcuking clue. I have no idea why on God’s sweet earth GNOME would not include Mono bindings by default. Let’s face it boys and girls: the current decent applications on GNOME are Mono-based. F-spot. Beagle. iFolder. Banshee.

Those are the applications that have turned GNOME from a rather bare, mediocre DE into something that is usable as a home desktop. Yet, you people are STILL debating whether or not to make it easy for developers using Mono?

Seriously, I don’t get you folk. Why don’t you guys just learn to stop being so hopelessly ideological about ones and zeroes, and stop being so compltely out of touch with your general user base and what it wants. Oh, and obviously, you guys need a leader.

It is laughable. At best.

While working on a report for university, I suddenly had the answer to one of my most common computer problems: the problem of when you have a gazillion windows open (various Firefox windows, multiple Word documents, multiple .pdf’s), and you want certain windows off the taskbar, but not closed. The solution: a sort of secondary taskbar, a sort of place where you can put windows if you know you’re going to need them in a few moments, but for now, they’re just in the way and clogging up your taskbar.

I’m a genious, I know.

Who said GNOME is ugly?

Nice words, and agreed in every respect. Grow up, KDE/GNOME/Linux folks. You are a bunch of babies whining over nothing instead of getting some real fcuking work done. And yes, that includes you, Linus Torvalds.

Now, I’m not quite happy with KDE and GNOME, or Linux DEs in particular. They are one big collection of loose ends, rough edges and sharp corners. They don’t feel coherent.

Just a few moments ago, I encountered the prime example of why DEs suck on Linux (this video was shot in KDE, but it applies to any other DE; it’s just that I’m in a KDE period right now).

WATCH THIS VIDEO

Why is this a prime example? Well, KDE did not give me *any* feedback as to why I couldn’t enter the advanced permissions dialog. I fcuking hate that. Of course I could run Konqi from the terminal and watch the output as I click, or enter debug-land, and then file a bug report; but it’s simply not worth the trouble– if I were to list every loose end, every rough edge, every sharp corner, I wouldn’t have a life left to live.

Oh and to you fcukers saying I’m not allowed to complain because it’s free software– FCUK YOU. If people are allowed to bitch and moan like whores about my so-called GNOME/Windows/OSX/whatever bias, then sure in HELL I am allowed to complain about this when I want to.

PS: the video was shot using my new 5.0 mp, 3x optical zoom, SD-based Pentax Optio 50 digital camera I just bought today for €199,-.