Netbook Remix launcher

[Robert McWilliam]

On Wed, Jan 14, 2009 at 07:59:14PM +0000, Liam Proven wrote:
> You try doing an apt-get remove evolution-data-server then. Note
> carefully the list of other packages that will be removed. Note that
> gnome-panel is one of them.

gnome-panel actually doesn't depend on evolution-data-server (at least
on 8.10) it just recommends it which is the right behaviour since
there are features that will stop working without it but the panel
itself will still run. Which version are you seeing the dependency on
(it looks like this might be a packaging bug which has been fixed)?

> Integrating part of *one specific application* to provide a
> (non-essential) function is a bad idea in what is meant to be a
> modular, CORBA-based desktop.

Are you objecting to the fact that calendar/PIM integration exists at
all or something specific with the way it's been done? 

Integrating part of an app that does what you want isn't a bad idea:
it's *great* software engineering. 

> Then rename it as such, and let's see some sign of any other app
> whatsoever using this interface.

Renaming something takes effort: you have to change all references to
it in other code, packages and documentation. Why expend that effort
what's actually wrong with the current name?

> This is a piece of irrelevant, unnecessary functionality. I expect my
> system clock to show me the time and date and maybe a simple calendar
> on demand.
<snip> 
> The Unix philosophy is meant to be about multiple small, separate
> programs working together to achieve complex tasks.
> 
> But here, we have a desktop environment that includes an email client
> that includes a scheduling app. These are different jobs.
> 
> If one user wants to use an all-in-one tool, good for them. But
> others, such as myself, do not. The thing is, I have had the option
> taken away.
> 
> This is a retrograde step.

You seem to be objecting to the existence of a feature that you don't
want to use. Other people do want it. The current implementation is
the best way to deal with the existence of both types of people: those
who want to use the feature can, those who don't can either ignore it
or if they really want the storage space back can remove most of the
code that implements it[1].

The Unix philosophy of small, separate, tightly focussed apps is not a
dogma that must be adhered to sometimes integrating a lot of
functionality in one app makes sense. I personally use apps at both
extremes of this: emacs is the canonical example of feature bloat and
my mail client of choice (mutt) is very much just a mail client (no
integrated editor, doesn't send mail...). Everybody thinks the optimum
is in a different place so the default for a distro has to be
something that will work for as many people as possible - if you want
the default changed to remove a feature you'll need evidence of what
harm it does by being there and that not many people want it. I don't
know how many people use the calendar integration with the clock (I've
seen two people rave about how good it is) but I don't see what harm
it does by being there. 

   Robert 


[1] Some has to stay because ubuntu is a binary distribution so you
don't get to remove libraries that something else is going to call. In
source based distributions (gentoo and friends) you can recompile
things with features removed and so remove the dependencies of that
feature. If you want the ability to pick and choose which features an
app has it might be worth having a play with a source based distro (or
compiling your own gnome-panel if it's the only place this annoys you). 
 

________________________________________________________________________
Robert McWilliam            rmcw at allmail.net             www.ormiret.com

The trouble with doing something right the first time, is nobody
appreciates how difficult it was.