Mail Archives: djgpp/1999/03/29/21:22:17
I believe that GNOME runs on the X API. Somebody (DJ?) with more
Linux/Unix experience correct me if I'm wrong.
On Mon, 29 Mar 1999, Adam Schrotenboer wrote:
> If I may make another suggestion, I hear references to a port of X windows
> (Is this just a part of XFree 86, or essentially the same thing???). I was
> thinking that a port of GNOME may be a bit better. XFree86 is Open Source,
> but not GPL, while GNOME is.
>
> DJ Delorie wrote:
>
> > Don't panic!
> >
> > I've been doing some thinking lately about where DJGPP is going. I've
> > concluded to myself that it really isn't *going* anywhere, it's
> > *there*. The core code is pretty stable and feature-full. GNU ports
> > come out often enough, and we're becoming "just another unix platform"
> > for a lot of people. The web pages have pretty much everything I can
> > think to add to them (although we can always use more documentation :)
> > The big focus these days is on third-party additions (like Allegro)
> > and applications.
> >
> > Cool.
> >
> > The big question I have for you all is this: What's next?
> >
> > I don't mean "Let's write application XYZ", I mean for the DJGPP
> > project itself. Think BIG. I don't see too many people installing
> > DOS these days, and Cygwin is shaping up to be almost as good as DJGPP
> > (hey, I can boast - I'm on both teams) so the Win32 systems will see
> > less demand for DJGPP over time (I expect, at least). Plus, a lot of
> > DJGPP users are switching to Linux or WinNT/Cygwin.
> >
> > So what are our choices?
> >
> > Well, we can try to saturate the DOS market. I don't know how to do
> > that, unless we spend a fortune on ads in PC magazines :-( Perhaps an
> > effort to "spread the word" in other forums (nicely, please) would
> > "enlighten the uninformed", but it's for diminishing returns.
> >
> > We could try to make DJGPP a Windows-native system. I don't think
> > this is a good idea because 90% of the value in DJGPP is the way it
> > hides DOS, and we'd have to throw it all away and start from scratch
> > if we switched to the Win32 API. Plus, Cygwin already does Win32, and
> > legally I can't promote such a project because that's what I already
> > do for Cygnus. If you like this option, join the cygwin team - you'll
> > be much happier, and we can always use more help.
> >
> > For the same reason, DJGPP for Linux is a bad idea. Heck, DJGPP is a
> > port of the Linux tools themselves!
> >
> > We could overhaul DJGPP again for ELF support and a few other
> > fundamental design changes, but why mess with a good thing? Sure,
> > we've got a list of bugs to fix (like C++ templates in COFF) but
> > they'll get fixed eventually. Such redesigns would have little real
> > effect on the project.
> >
> > So, I'm at a loss as to where we should be focusing our energy at this
> > time. Mailing list traffic doubled every year from 1993 to 1997, but
> > *dropped* 10% in 1998 (1999 isn't looking too good, either), and
> > delorie.com's web server has had a pretty steady load for the last two
> > years, even though I've got plenty of spare resources. I think our
> > period of growth is over unless we start something new, but what?
> >
> > So my task for you, my loyal fans, devoted followers, silent lurkers,
> > and the occasional tax collector (hiss!) is to help shape the future!
> > Let's get those ideas flowing and figure out what the Next Big Thing
> > for us will be!
> >
> > Considerations (but not limitations):
> >
> > * GPL. We've come a long way with it, no reason to change now.
> >
> > * Should give something to the community. DJGPP was built by the
> > community, the benefits should go to the community.
> >
> > * Traffic to my web server means money for us, which I turn into more
> > servers, bigger disks, faster net connections, time to write CGIs,
> > etc. The main DJGPP server is a P166 with 27Gb of disk and a 1Mb/s
> > link, but if you folks want to chip in for a PII/450 I'll get one
> > ;-) Current traffic just about covers ISP, electric bills, and
> > upkeep (about $9,000/year).
> >
> > * Should be long term and highly visible, so we'll all get rich and
> > famous (we hope) through contracts and such.
> >
> > * Should be something that can grow on its own. For example, if
> > personal labor is involved (like consulting), you're limited by how
> > much you can do, but a web page, computer program, or software
> > package can grow and multiply without needing more people-hours.
> > This also frees us up to do other projects when we're done :-)
> >
> > So crank up those brains, think carefully, and let's hear your
> > suggesions. No flames please! You may send me private mail if you
> > don't want your ideas public, else send them to the djgpp forum.
> >
> > DJ
>
>
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