Re: projects related to GNUStep?

[Riccardo]

Hi,

On 2007-06-27 19:32:02 +0200 Zhang Weiwu <zhangweiwu@realss.com> wrote:

> I during my googling around trying to build my GNUStep environment I
> have seen many efforts to make a desktop system using GNUStep. Knowing
> Etolie is active is a good thing but I just wish to know if other
> related projects are still alive (and, maybe it's better they are not
> alive so limited resource can be collected in one project to make it
> speedy)

first a general comment: freshmeat pages are often setup by people not 
part of the original development team, so they indicate a resource, 
but to check if it is really up-to-date check their original websites.


> * backbone project: project goal is similar with Etolie, it's no 
> longer
> going on, right? Because I don't see
> download section for this project. http://www.nongnu.org/backbone/

As far as I know it is in perfect working order and there are 
occasional updates, the people working on it have little time, but 
they are good coders and the applications are good. I know they never 
release tarballs and this disturbs me, however the CVS tree works fine 
for me. They host Terminal, the only working gnustep termina, 
Preferences, a good old-school preferences application with its 
framework and TextEdit, port of the original NeXT app. These are the 
applications I use from them.


> * LinuxStep project: focused on building a linux system (a
> distribution?) that provides GNUStep environment. It's no longer 
> alive,
> right?
I think not, but to be honest I never followed the "complete OS 
efforts".


> * Preferences.app http://freshmeat.net/projects/preferences/ where is
> preferences.app being developed now? If it's no longer on freshmeat 
> (no
> download link for this project on freshmeat) then better close
> this freshmeat project, the first google result page for
> preferences.app probably don't even include information on where is
> application lives. preferences application is neither listed in
> GNUStep.org package list page.
Isn't htis the same application being in Backbone?
Furthermore GNUstep has also a systempreferences application, trying 
to clone Mac's version instead of NeXT's.

> * many other applications are on separate websites but they have a
> freshmeat page. GNUMail for example, on 
> www.collaboration-world.com/gnumail/ 
> . as name suggest, people might
> think this is a project of GNU (is it?) and probably try find it in
> gnu.org or Savannah (there is no project in Savannah about GNUMail but
> there is a project GNUMail on freshmeat)
the gnustep wiki itself hosts a list of applications 
http://wiki.gnustep.org/index.php/Category:Applications .


> * GNU Application Project http://www.nongnu.org/gap/ what's the
> relationship between this project and Etolie?
Currently? None. GAP's first goal is to host applications and 
utilities for GNUstep and is "agnostic" in the sense that it requires 
only GNUstep for its applications, it doesn't rely on an external 
Desktop project and their libraries. It contains both new applications 
(like FTP or BatteryMonitor) as well as ported applications (like 
InnerSpace or TimeMon).
Of course the goal is to have a comprehensive set of applications that 
enables to build a a Workspace environment.

> This is just a newcomer's confuse, just please don't mind if I am
> talking as if I don't know the GNUStep project (well, because I do, 
> not
> knowing the project. Purely an end user's confuse.)
Yes, it is confusing, but bear in mind that GNUstep mainly is a 
framwrok (think of GLIB and GTK) and has a couple of applications to 
use (which are provided as a courtesy but aren't a requirement for any 
other and can be replaced by the user).
Thus anyone can build either single applications or theyr Environment 
based on gnustep as they wish (think fo XFCE or GNOME)

> P.S. What I see is GNUStep development happen here and there. I am not
> sure if all people agree that it would be better to collect efforts
> together for a main project in condition when development force is not
> enough.

Open Source means freedom to pursue the projects one likes most, this 
often generates some duplication. But people here are aware of our 
small manpower and you will see that most aplications run together 
even if they come from "different" projects. I use a GNUstep Workspace 
daily and have official GNUstep applications, GAP applications (of 
course!), Backbone applications and some other external stuff 
(GNUMail, TalkSoup, PRICE) running side by side.

I think the goal of the wiki pages is also to help the user find his 
stuff in the maze.

- Riccardo