bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (08/21/89)
In article <11143@watcgl.waterloo.edu> lindsay@watnext.waterloo.edu (Lindsay Patten) writes:
Now it seems that there must be something to be learned from the
(seeming) success of the X consortium. They somehow manage to
produce free software. By what process did that take place? Can
it be used more generally?
The X Consortium's success is the result of classical FUD (Fear,
Uncertainty, and Doubt) marketing-driven bullies, asserting that
mediocre technology is a "standard" before it even exists. This is
very similar to ISO's attempts to foist inferior networking technology
on the world, except that X seems already to have succeeded. Indeed,
it has succeeded in the arena at which it is aimed: nontechnical,
knee-jerk "standards" followers. Unfortunately, X is now a reality to
be dealt with, and every wise product manager must follow along.
The X Consortium's "success" is collusion in the purest form, and I
would hope that FSF would refrain from such tactics in favor of simply
providing a superior product and letting the technically (and morally)
superior solution win. Like everyone else, FSF must cooperate with X
for now, though hopefully someday soon a superior window system
technology will be freed for public use.
(Boy, if this doesn't draw heat, I don't know what will! :-)sean@ms.uky.edu (Sean Casey) (08/22/89)
|The X Consortium's "success" is collusion in the purest form, and I |would hope that FSF would refrain from such tactics in favor of simply |providing a superior product and letting the technically (and morally) |superior solution win. Like everyone else, FSF must cooperate with X |for now, though hopefully someday soon a superior window system |technology will be freed for public use. Mgr from Bell Labs looks pretty good. It is simple and elegant. X looks like a beached oil tanker in comparison. Maybe FSF could talk to the people that developed mgr and see if they'd be willing to let FSF have it. It's already freely redistributable. Sean -- *** Sean Casey sean@ms.uky.edu, sean@ukma.bitnet, ukma!sean *** Copyright 1989 by Sean Casey. Only non-profit redistribution permitted. *** ``Why can't anything be as simple as following the instructions???'' -me
bob@tinman.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (08/23/89)
In article <12452@s.ms.uky.edu> sean@ms.uky.edu (Sean Casey) writes:
Mgr from Bell Labs looks pretty good.
Actually, it's from Bellcore. Spartan, minimalist, tiny... not in
character for GNU stuff at all :-)