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On Tue, 7 Oct 2014 17:45:20 -0400 |
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Rich Freeman <rich0@g.o> wrote: |
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> |
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> And when you look at stuff like Freedesktop the goal is for you to be |
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> able to plug a USB headset in and have it suddenly usable for phone |
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> calls, just like on any other modern OS. |
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> |
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Here is where I, among many others I would hope, differ philosophically. |
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The key phrase is "just like any other modern OS." Is the function |
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of an OS to do everything for the user? In my view, an OS is merely |
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an enabler. It provides a general framework for executing programs. |
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Anything beyond this basic, nonspecific functionality is to be left |
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entirely up to the user. |
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Freedesktop, or any of its equivalents, should remain just another option |
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among a wide array of options that is enabled by the basic OS. The |
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danger arises when a certain clique of developers, with the backing |
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of corporate big bucks, unilaterally decides that a general, nonspecific |
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OS is somehow antiquated, "old school," and irrelevant for modern times. |
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For such a clique, an OS cannot be bare or sparse, but absolutely must |
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incorporate certain "features" as standard and inviolable components. |
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To give an example, regarding freedesktop (FD), color management is one |
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such feature. Formerly, color management (CM) was implemented by the user |
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in his own way using a variety of available tools. Now, however, CM is to be |
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accomplished as an integral part of the FD environment with no need for |
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user supervision, and, even though FD is supposedly only an option, more |
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and more image/graphics software will likely be written to utilize only |
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the FD approach rather than to keep CM open and flexible. All other alternatives |
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to CM will then be left to slowly rot and wither away. |
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FOSS developers have to maintain an awareness that there is no One True |
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Way. A computer has always been and always will be a general purpose machine. |
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Therefore, the only rational philosophy for OS development is for an OS |
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to empower the user to apply this generality for his own needs. |
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