----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2001 5:19 PM Subject: Re: [abcusers] dynamics (was)
> On Sat, 27 Oct 2001 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > There doesn't seem to be much point in being involved in an > > open-source project coded in a language you don't understand. > > Sorry, but that's absurd. Coding is not the only way to contribute to a > software project, and I would argue that it is not even the most important > way. Probably 75% of the people on my team at work have never even seen > our product's source code. And there are plenty of SourceForge members > who can't program in *any* language. > > I think an open-source project *could* be an appropriate venue for working > on the abc standard, as long as it's open to input from anyone. I don't > understand why you think a project contributor would have to know C or any > other programming language in order to provide input on the standard. > Coding would follow the standard, not the other way around. > > I'm not saying this is what libabc should be, or even could be, but I > don't understand why you are singling it out for criticism over any other > implementation. It seems like a huge leap to say that there is a danger > of it becoming synonymous with the future of abc, let alone in some way > that would exclude your input. > > All that aside, based on the present standardization efforts (or lack > thereof), abc *has* no forseeable future. I don't think that should stop > someone from writing a useful tool. And since it hasn't stopped *you*, I > assume you would agree. > > A newcomer to the "pretended" abcusers mailing list? Really, you nearly made me laugh to death! The rule in this quarters is that the developers are the only ones entitled to decide about the future of the standard, since they are the one that write the code. Users that are not developers are usually ignored, or eventually abused if they insist to state their different points of view (actually, even some of the developers are actually on such a fringe...). I suppose this is the reason why, after four years a number of users - and even a few developers (those on the fringe like Bryan) - have been stressing the need to update the abc standard, no agreement about any update was reached, and then now we can't but regret any update would be useless... in your words the abc notation has no forseeable future anymore. By the way, I've been told many times that the main abc native softwares, which are mainly quite poor clones of a rather poor first one, are a product of the so called free-source or open-source philosophy, and that the total incapacity of their developers to join their efforts working together toward a common goal is as well reflecting that philosophy... any comment? Gianni To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html