Re: FSD as a Git repository

[Bone Baboon]

bill-auger writes:

> On Sat, 17 Jul 2021 13:55:44 -0400 Bone wrote:
>> If someone is using a FSDG operating system
>> and their GPU requires nonfree software then they will not be able to
>> use a graphical environment.
>
> some GPU requires non-free software for 3D acceleration; but i
> do not know of any which can not run a graphical environment of
> a fully libre system
>
> i dont believe that any freedom issue is addressed by this
> proposal

I have personally run into this issue of GPUs that required nonfree
software not being able to run a graphical environment while using a
FSDG operating system.

You can read about it here:
<https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/help-guix/2021-04/msg00220.html>

> there are definitely other good reasons to re-write
> the FSD - i have suggested several times over the years, that
> it should get a make-over, to appear more like a "modern-web"
> downloads website - people would be more familiar with the
> typical "app-store" presentation - that would be an improvement;
> but that could be accomplished with the wiki remaining in place
> under-the-hood, for those who wish to edit it

The appearance of the FSD could also be changed if the FSD as a Git
repository concept was implemented.

However the scope of the changes you are mentioning here sound like a
separate project.

> a wiki is not the ideal software for this purpose; but it has
> the nice property of simple, public, collaborative editing, and
> is familiar to anyone who has edited a wiki before, and easy
> to learn buy anyone else - git of course has the former
> property; but is not as familiar to, nor easy to use by, people
> who are not programmers

The issue of people being unfamiliar with Git could be mitigated with a
tutorial on how to contribute to the FSD using Git.

People are also unfamiliar with MediaWiki.  When I made my first edit I
was surprised that it took markdown format and rendered it in unexpected
ways.