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Gnome.org Desktop Integration Bounty Hunt
tempest303 writes "In order to help improve integration between apps on the Gnome desktop, Gnome.org is offering bounties for the completion of a variety of integration tasks. Bounties range from $15, for submitting new .ical files for Evolution 2.0's multiple calendar view, to $2500 for allowing synchronization between Evolution's addressbook with Gaim's buddy list!"
Doesnt the open source model succeed by encouraging people to collaborate and work together? It seems to me that this bounty concept will only motivate people to hide information from each other and work against each other in the name of money.
It's all good and well to program for love and pride, but these rewards will help the project move over some of the less glamourous problems.
Consolidation is important in the Linux world; if coders spent more time on it instead of creating new competing apps (not that there's not a place for that), the world would be a better place.
Treehugger? Treehugger... Treehugger!
This is very interesting concept, image someone setting up a bounty server for free software (in general) where people could donate money to bounties on any free software project and hackers could claim the money ones they've solved it.
If there is one clear area where microsoft leads the field its application integration. Obviously the centralized control make this much more achievable.
In the long-term it may be more effective to build a high-level API to allow this integration. Perhaps some kind of built in RDBMS with a well defined schema for commonly shared application data. Several static tables to provide an area for common data (Contacts, Favourite websites/ftp servers etc) plus an extensible area for application specific data.
If the open source community had a well-defined process (shock horror!!) to request changes to the schema we could begin to provide the kind of application integration currently on offer by MS.
Integrating Gaim with Evolution is great but surely a strategy for integration email clients with IM clients in the general sense would be much more valuable.
Definatly a move in the right direction though!
Maybe the GNOME Foundation should offer a bounty for changing the old Slashdot GNOME icon.
Plueeeease, it can't be so difficult, can it?
rubinstein
trying... to... care... but... can't...
I've been wishing for better LDAP support in Evolution (and MUAs in general), and wrote up a page on my Wiki about Writable LDAP Addressbooks. Looks like they've got at least on covered.
Wil
wiki
...an adaptation of the Open Code Market idea. I'm glad the open source community is exploring more and more ways to make a living while creating free software.
I claim first use of "Error No. 0B" - or "No. 0B error." It'll be the new ID 10T!
While there is no doubt that Gnome is visually attractive, has there been any empirical evaluation of Gnome from a human-computer interaction perspective, i.e. a usability study? I've certainly never come across any such testing in relation to Gnome, which is worrying.
Cheers,
Ian
The bounty page says that they are trying to achieve integration between key components of the linux desktop. Evolution, OpenOffice.org, and gaim, are a few key components of the linux desktop. You may choose not to use them, but that doesn't make the statement false.
And since when did hackers need money to hack?
Hackers don't necessarily need money in order to hack. You miss the point of this contest. The point is, it's a win-win situation. If you are a hacker and could use some extra money, now you have some extra motivation to grab a task and work on it. And it's a win for Novell, who I hear donated the funding for this. So my question is, why are you so negative?
And where does this leaves the previous claims of GNOME being "integrated"?
There is always room for improvement, wouldn't you say?
Why can't those making the money, i.e. Ximian / Novell / SUN do the work for their profits?
They do. But now those outside Novell, etc. have a chance to make some money and contribute to our favourite desktop.
Celebrate the finer things in life
Why? because of a very dangerous thing called "scope-creep". I freelance, and get small contracts (< $20k). I've worked in big contract shops before, multi million dollar software being designed and implemented a la carte for our custommers, and yet, despite all that experience in large shops, it's extremely difficult with even the smallest project to first nail a solid technical spec document, and then to stick to it.
Now this is when I'm dealing one on one with the client, over phone etc... Imagine what this scenario would be like on an online forum...
Unmanageable to the nth degree, methinks.
Debian has no default. You have to choose between GNOME and KDE.
Debian's KDE support today is superb, only rivaled by SuSE.
(I think the misunderstandment that Debian is a GNOME-dist comes from the the 2.2-time when they didnt distribute KDE at all, because of license issues)
Wouldn't have been more easy for Evolution, Gaim and other programs to share a single addressbook?!
Learn from KDE, where Kopete is now dumping it's own contact list in order to share the same Kaddressbook with Kontact, KMail and any other KDE program.
Why making things more complicated instead of making them simplier?
FINALLY, someone out there is getting the idea! You can't eat a "thank you", and while the amounts paid may or may not be worth the effort put in, it's something! Great incentive.
With even a little bit of cash out there for developers to earn, projects like gnome can go a lot farther, a lot faster IMO. My hat is off to you guys at gnome.org!
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
Ximian Connector: $69 personal use license.
http://www.ximian.com/products/connector/
Of course, I'll sell you one for $100 and pocket the $31 if it makes you feel better.
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
Evolution's contact editor allows you to annotate a contact with the dates of their birthday and anniversary. However, these dates don't automatically copy themselves into your calendar...you won't see them when you glance through your schedule, and an alarm won't fire to warn you of a friend's upcoming birthday...Clearly, this is a travesty."
Indeed it is a travesty. And a travesty that exists between Apple's Address Book and iCal apps as well. You can get round it using software like Birthday Shifter, but this really ought to be in the main app's functionality.
Cheers,
Ian
This is just a variation of the Street Performer Protocol: People pool their money to fund the scarce CREATION of a unique work they want put into the public domain (rather than paying for artificially scarce COPIES of data).
--
Power to the Peaceful
My time isn't free. I've had to spend a lot of money to get my education, as well as a lot of personal time I could've been using towards something else. As any economics student could tell you, there's no such thing as a free lunch.
This provides a nice feedback mechanism that allows non-programmers to reward programmers for "filling in" and doing what the non-programmers wanted to be done. It's a natural balance, and I consider it progress in how opensource is developed. One of the few sustainable ways we could keep Linus Torvalds working on the kernel 40 hours a week is by having IBM, Red Hat, et all contributing to his work, just like Red Hat employs Alan Cox, or any number of other examples.
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
As others mentionned, this sounds a lot like the Open Code Market idea that has been discussed here previously.
:)
For $25k, Novell just bought amazing publicity. Perhaps an Open Code Market could attract such financing?
Big companies could even offer matching funds to any/certain types of OS software, letting users direct where the money goes. This would not only help finance and promote projects, but publicize the company and the Open Code Market.
And since I'm giving away business advice... it seems to me trade associations would also be a good funder for many targetted projects (I imagine that would be a good way to get funding for things like accounting systems, specialized database packages, etc...)
Someone please try those ideas out. I'd much rather make a living selling code that will be open
Information: "I want to be anthropomorphized"
I understand that Gaim supports XMPP, but it does as for a secondary one. For example, when it starts it request you to login to AIM.
Why not support Gossip or even Tkabber instead? Why Gaim?
Well, if you think it's just a flame war about IM clients, then take this:
In addition to three GAIM-related bounties, the fourth one is "purely" related to AIM protocol: Handle aim: links in Epiphany. When I read this I begin thinking that Gnome management team has been sold out to AOL. Otherwise why wouldn't the include also Handle JID: links in Epiphany.
What's wrong with Gnome team?
Less is more !