GNOME's purpose (was Re: slow system)

["John R. Sheets" <dusk@ravendusk.org>]

On Nov 06, 1999, Christopher Reid Palmer <reid@pconline.com> wrote:
> 
> > > As someone else said, GNOME and Netscape are memory hogs. Run Window Maker
> >
> > GNOME IS NOT A WM.
> 
> You don't need to tell *me* that. But it doesn't fill the role of a
> command shell the way the Mac OS Finder does, or BeOS Tracker, or even
> (half-assedly) Windows Explorer. 

Of course not!  It was never GNOME's intent to be a command shell.
GNOME's purpose is to provide a framework for building applications ...
such as a graphical command shell app.

> It also does not really fill the bill as
> an API for building coherent and standardised application like Mac OS
> Toolbox or Win32. 

Care to back that up with some real facts?  What is GNOME lacking that
fails to make it a coherent API?  Have you written any applications in
GNOME?  Are you up to date with the current state of GNOME's component
system and graphics engine?  It's very easy to make sweeping
condemnations, but not so easy to back them up.  (c;

> GNOME is a 'desktop environment', which means a) a
> nicer-looking xfm(1) and b) yet another taskbar look-alike.

No, GNOME is a desktop API that *supports* applications such as file
managers and taskbars.  Big difference.  Just because a lot of GNOME
apps exist does not make those applications the entire substance of
GNOME.

John