tlug: Linux for the masses: a civil reply, I hope.

[tjhaslam <tjhaslam@example.com>]

Chris Seyika wrote:

CS>I had developed a pretty good rant (I thought) concerning non-programmers 
CS> who felt that the Linux dev community somehow owed them ease-of-use tools 
CS>  -- otherwise they wouldn't deign to use our opsys. Unfortunately (or 
CS> fortunately), I'm too tired to do it justice. Maybe after we do our 
CS> release tomorrow. 

Please do.  I`m interested in the past rants as well--the ones previous to
my joining the list just a few months back.  If you have any classics
readily on hand, would you forward them to my account?   <I`m not
interested enough right now to search the TLUG archive.  But if your most
recent rant turns out really good    ;-)   >

You did make a comment though, that I want to address--as well as a few
related ones by that other__self-declared__member *hah hah* of the Old
Guard.  On what seem to me as similar lines to CS, Stephen Turnbull wrote: 

ST>> What I object to is the notion that the community as a whole "should" 
ST>> respond to any outsiders' demands.  [cut/slash/multilate]
ST>> But responding to those demands is potentially dangerous, and I for one 
ST>> will do so only where it supports other parts of the open source
program, 
ST>>and not simply to provide ease of use or power, no matter how valuable to 
ST>> how large a market.  That's what business is for, anyway ;-).

And further advises: 

ST>> (reread Stallman's GNU Manifesto).

Right (or Left.  Or  whatever).  And I greatly appreciate  Chris`s sense of
a Linux dev community--his commitment to Linux.  But I might add to the
_reread_  list the GNU General Public License--the Copylefter, as it were.
To clarify just who __our opsys__ (in Chris`s phrase to a fellow
programmer) legally--not morally--belongs to.   Why?  From my reading of
various biz news, I think a number of hackers for hire are on their way.
Shared Linux dev skills are one thing; shared Linux com values another.  Be
careful what you ask for, Chris.

But I`ll take up the issue of the __`open source` community__ /GNU
manifesto first.  (Not quite the same thing as CS`s _Linux dev community_,
which for now is more a subset of the open source community although more
or less still GNU). 

Let me begin with the obvious: GNU has a broader agenda that just software
or even tech.  Someone with my--generally useless--background particulary
enjoys Stallman quoting from the Constitution to assert that the purpose of
copyright is to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts.``
He`s right, actually (or was). [1]   And I think a recent Tlug exchange
between Frank Bennett and Howard Abbey glossed this same quote in regard to
Int Prop rights and err . . . games.  (What other user-group can boast such
gentleman-scholars, I ask you?)  But as neither a gentleman nor a scholar,
my point is:

GNU has no problem with GNU for the masses.  Or for that matter, with what
they deem GNU/Linux.  Or further still, `ease of use` via a GUI.  (The
perhaps never to appear GNU desktop __TEAK__, for example).  Much of what
GNU wants is to take the mystery and elitism out of computing and
information technologies--as well as the expense.  

This does not answer the rather informed claims of CS and ST that Linux for
the masses (i.e., developing the the needed *user-friendly* interface and
apps) would be a considerable and damaging drain on/waste of the resources
of the Open Source Community.  In that regard, I rather like ST`s comment:
*That's what business is for, anyway ;-)   . . . *    Amen, Brother
Turnbull,  I say Amen.  Now, we`ll ease back just a little bit, won`t we,
on these cheap gibes at TurboLinux?  (Yeah, I thought that was too much to
ask for  :-(     Yet Redhat right now is a better target, anyway).  

There are any number of remaining issues here, and I do have to go home
eventually.  So some quick comments (a to d): 

a.  CS and ST: not personally asking that YOU develop the tools I and
others want.  Sorry if it sounded that way (though I do think Emacs
development is the great blackhole of programming talent: I`m just really
hoping but not quite believing there is an alternative galaxy on the other
side.   Seen glimpses of it?   Caffiene delusions, more likely).  But back
to my sorid reality: if by chance you and some friends did, however:
10000`s of people would use these tools.  _Pine_ is nothing to be ashamed
of--and neither would be something like _X-Pine_, for example.  (BTW,  CS:
I have/had indeed *deigned* to both use and learn the opsys.  Still very
want certain tools very badly, though.  DIY is your _polite_ advice, I`m
sure). 

b. ST: orthogonal has become orthogonal to orthogonal.  Humbly request that
you break out your Bucky Fuller Thesaurus and find a new TLUG vocab word
for October.  (Or was that the plan all along?)

c. Linux`s success will prove a very mixed blessing for/serious strain upon
the open source community (hereafter OSC).  In market terms, Linux and Free
BSD, to give just one example, are competing entities (same _general_
features and functionality, et cetera).  The commerical development of
Linux, apps and whatnot, will begin to proceed at such a pace that the
weaker OSC brethen will not be able to keep up and/or be readily ported to,
as is ST`s concern.   You can: _Bank on that, baby: the bald one has
spoken_[TM].  

d. CS: get ready--but not quite yet--to rouse the old guard and guard the
kernel & libraries.   Even and _most hopefully_ if the Linux dev com does
not fragment/become balkanized from the `outsiders` picking alleged winners
and losers and financing accordingly, some of the new code boyz and grrls
coming in will not entirely share your values or sense of community: but
will at least have some skills.   And GNU GPL might not quite offer the
protection you think.  (To revive an earlier half-serious jest: MS Linux,
anyone?)

But I`m actually rooting for you guys.  I`m on your side, kind of.  Mostly.
 For a number of reasons, however, I do want to turn some Wintel boxes into
Lintels.  But for the enviroment(s) I have in mine, still need just a few
more tools/apps.   And yes: preferrably, X-Windows based/GUI-ish. 

My personal ambitions are not as exciting as JB`s.  What the aggregate
effect of our schemes would be might be another story.   But his scenario
awhile back for installing Linux/Applix on 2000 some corporate enduser
boxes had a lot going for it.  On a rather smaller scale, I endorse the JB
program, as it were.

Best to anyone who actually read this--and best to all who had the good
sense not to,

TJH



[1]  I mentioned that Stallman _was_ right because recent developments in
Intellectual Property/Copyright law seem to be moving away from from this
Founding Fathers _progress of the science and useful arts_ bit.  BTW,
should you ever want the *source* the Founders used, try the essays of
David Hume.


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