Re: [Fwd: Re: really attracting developers]

[Doc O'Leary]

In article <mailman.5830.1156792864.9609.discuss-gnustep@gnu.org>,
 Helge Hess <helge.hess@opengroupware.org> wrote:

> On Aug 27, 2006, at 17:51, Doc O'Leary wrote:
> > I agree with your premise, but not the conclusion.  Yes, the Linux
> > market is tiny, but as a developer I would gladly deploy there if the
> > effort were also as tiny to port my Mac software.
> 
> Hm, ok. Why would you want to do that?

Hm, ok.  Why *wouldn't* you want to do that?  I want people to use my 
software, and I don't really care if they're using a Mac.  If it were 
trivial to make software available to Linux users, then I don't see how 
it benefits anyone other than Apple to keep it off other platforms.

> As a proprietary software developer, why would I port to a system  
> which isn't used? It doesn't matter how easy it is. Lets say porting  
> Delicious Library to GNUstep/Linux would take 30 hours which would be  
> a very tiny effort.

Now I don't even agree with your premise.  30 hours is *not* a tiny 
effort.  A tiny effort is ticking a check box like NeXT allowed.  As I 
stated, if there were a way I could cross-compile and/or have my linked 
application "just work" with GNUstep, it would make a huge difference in 
how much software is available.  As it is, there isn't even a lot of 
interest in getting existing open source Mac/Cocoa software running on 
GNUstep.

> PS: if you would make it possible to port such Cocoa applications in  
> less than a week to GNOME or KDE, it would certainly make sense for  
> small scale developers.
> So feel free to add this to my list :-):
> c) reasonably easy and convenient KDE/GNOME porting for Cocoa developers

I will definitely agree that GNUstep could do wonders as a bridging 
technology.  Like many, I was sorely disappointed with the loss of 
Yellow Box, and I have already stated that a better focus for GNUstep 
would be for portability rather than as a primary platform.

> > So while Linux might not be that attractive a
> > market financially, technically it makes a good target.
> 
> Hm, then you didn't get my initial/basic point :-) The former is the  
> driving incentive for most Cocoa developers (as mentioned, very  
> little OpenSource Cocoa apps, plenty of shareware style ones). If you  
> want to get them, you need to make it attractive financially.

Then my point was lost, too!  I'm not saying Linux is a financially 
rewarding target market, but rather that it is technically a good first 
target for portability.  Once the direction is set and that initial baby 
step is taken, portability can definitely expand to Windows, or any 
other platform that *is* financially viable.

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