Re: What a modern collaboration toolkit looks like

[David Kastrup <dak@gnu.org>]

Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org> writes:

>     I don't know that I like the idea of an inferior system being
>     promoted simply because it has an arbitrary label attached
>     though...
>
> Being part of the GNU Project is not an arbitrary label.

It is not a label given for technical excellence.  And as far as I am
able to see, the promotion to "GNU software" is not the result of a
competition for that title, but is granted when certain criteria are met
and an application is made.  The FSF as the authority granting the label
of "GNU" does not at the same time have developer resources it can
devote or reroute to GNU software.

There are quite a few GNU software projects that are stagnating because
of a lack of developers.  It would not magically create new contributors
when something important like Emacs development is hobbled by being tied
into a project that does not, while deserving the name GNOME, have the
impetus and capability to keep Emacs running.

A development infrastructure depending on non-free software is
unfortunate, one depending on free non-GNU software is not, as far as I
can see, problematic over one depending on a resource-starved GNU
project: one could always fork the free non-GNU software and would start
with the same manpower (namely none) than one has for a stalling GNU
project.

So I don't think we should let ourselves be guided too much by the
non-GNU/GNU distinction for development infrastructure when the GNU
software does not fit the bill and we have no way making it do so.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum