From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Sep 17 19:13:28 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 410E4106566C for ; Mon, 17 Sep 2012 19:13:28 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lichray@gmail.com) Received: from mail-ie0-f182.google.com (mail-ie0-f182.google.com [209.85.223.182]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0AEBB8FC14 for ; Mon, 17 Sep 2012 19:13:27 +0000 (UTC) Received: by iea17 with SMTP id 17so7554576iea.13 for ; Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:13:27 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type; bh=vuSQVuHVaH9Cw4GtXLow3TmYyoH9BJwlCl1GecIXnf0=; b=lYVRikhwVd9QGxo8gbuu5Tblb1MFXmcUF1h6wgCvkFGrAfFLF5Nk32WMwU6OGqkM/N qA4KwhI20ZPBp4n5vOEjHOoaAk9Ek9KM6+2JCnDb4gQFXT500utAOEBIS+pHPTenbQkC y1GLYJX9JL4IDeg5Uw3oCcIt5PSBK5+iqjkSAKKqDB3HsIhxUj3+cxTkHimRi2IIR2/0 p5YZKMRy4xplRHXCfu5hxKt4bgwCENkDOWopwk81bUz4XsJWGs4XraapWF88at4XxA63 wOjNGoennoB9Xsuma/AthVmy4ERvGgQ+oFUkNF+atmxcraM6hgdWk5dawzcBGcBn7ttC zeLQ== MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.50.237.65 with SMTP id va1mr7952249igc.11.1347909207195; Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:13:27 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.231.127.76 with HTTP; Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:13:27 -0700 (PDT) Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:13:27 -0500 Message-ID: From: Zhihao Yuan To: FreeBSD Hackers Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Subject: My explanation to "a default DE" (was "Providing a default graphical environment on FreeBSD") X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2012 19:13:28 -0000 Hi, hackers: First, I'm not saying that I want an OS forcing you to installs a DE. If FreeBSD really does this, I'm going to switch to other BSDs :) The word "default" has nothing to do with "installed by default". It only means, when we are taking about "the" desktop environment under FreeBSD, we are referring to, for example, CDE. For the remaining part, I'll use ${DE} to indicate it. - Why we need it? For the past several years, many desktop environment becomes more and more Linux-only. For example, tt's becoming harder and harder to port Gnome to FreeBSD. NetworkManager is a GSoC project, automount is also hard. And since we don't use udev, the porting will become even harder is the predictable future. When people found that they have to use a less functional Gnome, they blame FreeBSD, not Gnome, not Linux. That's why we need a *default*, and *officially supported* DE. Since we have ${DE}, when people want to complain about their user experience with other DEs, we can simply say: we officially support ${DE}; you can choose others if you are pro. - What we can benefit from it? 1. Maximize graphical user experience by officially implementing Wifi helpers, auto-mounters; 2. Be more user friendly since we can put more details on GUI into the FreeBSD handbook; 3. Be nicer to FreeBSD-only developers. Their toolbar applets can claim themselves as "written for FreeBSD" if they support a particular applet protocol under ${DE}. - How we provide the ${DE}? 1. Show the information through out the official site, the handbook, bsdinstall (but do not forcefully install it). An additional FreeBSD GUI developers' handbook might be needed; 2. Leave the xorg, ${DE} in ports. We provide an alias for ${DE}, so that the users can use pkg_add desktop-environment to install ${DE}. 3. Implement the missing modern features, Wifi helpers, auto-mounters, etc., officially. That's all I want, without affecting any non-GUI users' experience, or any other non-${DE} users'. -- Zhihao Yuan, nickname lichray The best way to predict the future is to invent it. ___________________________________________________ 4BSD -- http://4bsd.biz/