> I'm not sure I see any reason for the distinction to be explicitly made.
> Xindice is a pure java solution, so while you might want to place the unix
> instructions before the windows instructions in a readme file or something,
> beyond that I think making any statements will only serve to unnecessarily
> alienate one group of people (non-OSS) without any specific advantage to a
> different group (OSS).
You're absolutely right and my propositions are only cosmetic. It's just that I wouldn't like to read in the Xindice documentation:
How to install Xindice: blah blah blah
Note for Linux users: replace %CATILINA_HOME% by ${CATILINA_HOME}
I agree - certainly there's no reason to have it biased towards windows. My thought was to try to make it "bias-free" to the extent possible.
> But to target a project towards other projects based on licensing > philosophy could undermine what it seems the real goal should be: to > provide an outstanding open source XML database.
And I hope that I do my part. I'm not one of Xindice's core developers and I sometimes ask myself if I have the right to impose directions to the project. But things are moving forward and nobody complained too loudly. But if you think I'm wrong, please correct me!
No, I don't think so at all. As I said, I just think it makes sense to leave unsaid what needn't be said. By providing great linux docs, along with good windows docs as well, you've covered your bases without saying anything that might be misconstrued. Ideally there shouldn't be *too* many places where the docs diverge. Mainly just installation right? Path separators, file separators, env vars - the usual suspects.
But hey - you are putting in the hours working on all this - that gives you right. It's those of us who just come in to voice our opinions who need to be more careful how we word things! :)
> Not all windows users are bad, (not that you implied it, but rest assured
> that implication will nevertheless be read into any statements making even
> so vague a reference), and you never know where you may get a great deal of
> support from.
And I never implied it. I'm well aware that 95%+ of the computers out there run Windows and that Xindice will primarly be used by Windows users. But it's not a reason not to do some PR releations. :-)
Yep - agreed - the main thing is to not do it in an alienating or condescending way (especially since there's no reason to). And I'm not saying that you would - but it has certainly been done.
In the interest of disclosure, I should say that I've used linux since 1992 when it would fit on two floppies! :) I love linux. And some will say, "but the reality is windows." But what I'm saying is, in one word, "Java." No need to fight any unnecessary battles.
As for screenshots: why not have different platforms? Many great projects do that. Have some KDE ones, Gnome ones, w2k, OSX. Then you promote Xindice, Open Source, AND the benefits of Java itself, all without falling into the "OS wars" trench.
Jim
-Vladimir
-- Vladimir R. Bossicard Apache Xindice - http://xml.apache.org/xindice
-- [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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