Posts by DoctorMO

Re: Probably a license issue

To be fair and clear, it isn't Free Software projects that stop themselves from going into iOS, it's Apple who has a political axe to grind against copyleft.

So, you are allowed to access Apple's users only if you remove all your protections and open yourselves up to abuse from those with power. This is because they see Free Software as an unenclosed field ripe for a few fences, and hate the idea it's not untamed wild, it's well regulated commons.

Anyone with an apple device must accept they're under the hegemony of a company that sells paternal coddling, and choosing a strict daddy who won't let you play with the kids next door is not the fault of the kids next door no matter how unfair it seems to you.

Re: Shooting themselves in the foot to save their hand

I'm so "stupid" I'm spending hours and hours unpicking Inkscape's complicated and baked in modifiers code so Illustrator users can have greater comfort. https://gitlab.com/inkscape/inkscape/-/merge_requests/2070 you can be critical without being quite so rude you know.

We've also spent a lot of time in the project unpicking things so designers, users and so on can modify things more easily. Not so that they have to personalise things, but so they can modify things and then contribute those better modifications back to the project for everyone's benefit. Very proud of the designer who was able to pick up glade and hack a modification of the about screen for Inkscape 1.1, so good to see non-developers having more power to be involved.

Thanks El Reg for the point release article, very kind!

Re: Always seemed an uphill task

Vala

I'll get me coat.

Re: "people usually work on what they are interested in"

Inkscape dev here. Your summise is somewhat correct, although it lacks some of the cause and effect inherent in the motivations of not just developers but all the support volunteers. For example, I'm a Free Software zealot, my whole bag is providing Free Desktops with a vector editor that's powerful, I don't care what Adobe is doing (except to pinch ideas) because Illustrator doesn't run on Linux. BUT other developers, some care about access for all users (support windows and mac because it's just that all users should have access) or care about features (they ARE cool to make).

But what I think is different and what we're trying to make different is how we do community. No matter how you are motivated to make Inkscape the thing better, the core consensus around the way in which the community is built is critical. Not having a difference between developer and non-developer contributors for example, inviting and mentoring anyone who wants to help in any role, even some of the boring ones like docs, or the gross ones like posting to facebook. Respect for contributors, patience for users and fair rules about where we should and shouldn't split out time between our pet desires and our shared responsibility borne from shared and growing relationships.

(We'll be doing a virtual hackfest to talk about features in 1.1 btw, should be fun to see all my friend's faces over that weekend)

Re: I don't mean to be undiplomatic...

Is it because GCHQ has hired all the boffins away from industry? Is is because open source code that's made in the USA is first used in France and Germany and visa versa and takes years to land in blighty? Is it because IT managers in the UK are trained by Black Adder impersonators? Is it because we have abut as much respect for competent engineers as we do the guy that empties the bins? Is it perhaps because computers don't run on steam and we've been baffled by electrons ever since the end of the nineteenth century?

All I know is, I escaped the UK and found more respect, more money and more freedom to be a good engineer in the USA. It doesn't sound like things have gotten any better since I left.

If you have Macro money, it might be time to get some C++ money and investing LibreOffice directly. (replace money with time if you're on your tod). They have a virtual machine brick you can download to get started with development which is quite handy.

One of the things that Microsoft Office does well is split users who are programming solutions from other users who could make use of those solutions. Everyone gets a nice easy to use VBA ghetto and no one need worry about collaborating on fixing a problem forever for everyone.