[Gambas-user] A strategical move for two communities: Gambas and The GNU Project

[Tobias Boege]

On Tue, 13 May 2014, Bruno F??lix Rezende Ribeiro wrote:
> Hello Gambas community!
> 
> The GNU project[1] aims to develop the GNU system: an Unix-like
> operating system that is entirely free software[2].  It was launched in
> 1984, marking the beginning of the free software movement and has been
> ever since the pivotal point of philosophical, legal and technical
> development regarding software user's freedom.  Since 1985 it is been
> sponsored by the FSF (Free Software Foundation)[3]: a nonprofit
> organization with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom
> and to defend the rights of all free software users.
> 
> Technically speaking, the GNU Project is also well known by its high
> quality software development tools, like compilers, interpreters and
> debuggers, and historically has influenced the Unix-like operating
> systems world and industry standards.  However, in its 30 years of
> existence, although the GNU project has developed implementations for
> several languages, it has not done so for the Basic language.
> 
> Therefore, as a member of the GNU project I want to invite the Gambas
> community to join the GNU community, making Gambas a GNU package[4] and
> thence the official implementation of the Basic language for the GNU
> operating system.  The GNU project will provide the full infrastructure
> for development and will help to spread awareness of Gambas, promoting
> it as the de facto GNU Basic language implementation.  As a GNU package,
> Gambas can benefit from FSF endorsement, and potentially fund raising
> campaigns and sponsoring.
> 
> I commit myself to help wherever needed: with the forge migration from
> Sourceforge to GNU Savannah; with the compliance to the GNU Coding and
> Maintenance Standards, etc.
> 
> What are your thoughts on that?
> 

Doing missionary work, eh?

All the promised fame and migration work aside (that would surely work out
somehow), I'm not happy with the GNU Coding standards thing. Personally,
I'm not the biggest fan of them - one reason being alone that it hurts in
the eyes to read them, because it takes hours. [ And yes, this is really a
big point since I DO need to do that - in its entirety - and better also
memorise it if Gambas becomes a GNU project, because I then have to commit
myself to it for standards are there to be obeyed.[*] ]

And honestly, I won't dare to say much about their contents because I never
finished reading them. I tried it quite a number of times (just to check if
Torvalds really has a point in saying that you should only print them to
burn them) - but at some point I really needed a (long) break and so never
got them entirely read (also because I never *had* to).

The only thing I *will* say is that GNU's C notation standards are totally
inverse to what I consider aesthetic. If it happens that Gambas has to obey
these standards I will have to set up `indent' scripts or something (god
bless indent!) to convert my Linux Kernel coding style to GNU's before I do
commits (or will Savannah do that automatically?). That's no big deal but
certainly annoying.

But now, enough of my first-person problems. I only want to say that either
way I will follow Benoit's decision and pursue all of the work I began on
Gambas.

Regards,
Tobi

[*] I may sound a little like a German stereotype - if we were told right
    about cliches other countries have about us. Is that true? :-)

-- 
"There's an old saying: Don't change anything... ever!" -- Mr. Monk