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From: "Joel N. Weber II" <devnull@gnu.ai.mit.edu>
To: msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au
CC: hasty@rah.star-gate.com, chat@FreeBSD.ORG
In-reply-to: <199706160050.KAA08372@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> (message
	from Michael Smith on Mon, 16 Jun 1997 10:20:59 +0930 (CST))
Subject: Re: Plugin? (Re: Complaining at Warner Brothers? )
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   From: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au>
   Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 10:20:59 +0930 (CST)

   > (IMHO, plugins allow you to do some of the things you could do if
   > you actually had the source, in a way that requires more work for everyone.)

   No, plugins let the user extend the functionality of their software
   without having to have the source, or the resources to build it.

I fail to see where either of these would be huge advantages.

If I have the resources to run X, I have th resources to run gcc.

And with E-scape, you're almost forced by the GPL to get the source.

   The Tcl plugin is pretty damn handy.  IMHO you should make your
   browser more, not less, modular.  Not only does it make your job
   easier, it makes life easier for someone wanting to develop an
   extension either for general distribution or with a specific target
   group in mind (eg. for an embedded or vertical solution).

You've raised a good point.  It is desireable for E-scape to eventually
suport the functionality of the TCL plugin, although I think that
it won't be written strictly as a plugin.

I'm also realizing that I need to come up with an adaquate framework
in my code for these random pieces.  There is more to life than HTML and
images :-)