App duplication again (Re: new project in kdemultimedia)

[Neil Stevens]

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On Saturday May 04, 2002 08:08, Thomas Diehl wrote:
> Am Samstag, 4. Mai 2002 16:38 schrieb Neil Stevens:
> > > And why not finally have a vote page for the following applications:
> >
> > Because KDE isn't a democracy.  Developers are under no obligation to
> > implement the result of a vote.  That is, KDE has no leverage to force
> > the developers if the result doesn't go the way they want.  KDE can
> > only enforce a negative - removing apps and reverting commits.  It
> > can't force developers to "team up," or force a developer to move into
> > CVS and comply with KDE CVS rules.  It can't force developers to add
> > features and redesign UIs.
>
> I'm not for the suggested vote either. But if you look really at it you
> should notice that its effect is indeed a negative -- removing apps,
> nothing else. Also we are talking about developers who already moved to
> CVS and, by this very act, have agreed to comply with its rules. If they
> didn't there is really no use to any discussion here.'

Some of Hetz's proposed votes involved apps not in cvs, and in fact 
mentioned non-KDE apps.

> > User feedback is important, but to have users make
> > decisions is to ask them to take over some of the developer
> > responsibility.
>
> I guess the question is: Who takes responsibiltiy if (some) developers
> forget about theirs?

The answer is nobody.  Who said that all responsibilities get taken?  Apps 
fall unmaintained all the time in KDE, translations fall behind, 
documentation goes unwritten, icons go unpainted.  People do what they 
feel like doing.

There is no silver bullet that ensures users will always get what they 
need.  Having votes won't do it, removing apps from KDE won't do it, press 
releases won't do it.

- -- 
Neil Stevens - neil at qualityassistant.com
"I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding
because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they
have not a single political argument left." - Margaret Thatcher
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