XFree86 Core Team Disbands

mumumu was among the many to write with this news: "XFree86's release engineer David Dawes has announced that "a majority of the XFree86 core team has voted in favour of my proposal to disband the core team". XFree86's News Headline has a short message about it. Why, all of a sudden? What is the successor of the XFree86? Xouvert? freedesktop.org?"

Re:WOW

[cshark]

My reaction exactly.

But just because they stop producing it and supporting it, does that really mean we need to switch to something else?

Look at Windows, it's never been supported and that doesn't seem to stop anyone from continuing to use it.

Still, it kind of feels like the end of an era.
I can't help but wonder how all the applications that run on top of xfree86 will deal with this.

Fun!

Re:I hope something replaces X

[javatips]

It will be called XX.

But I suggest you wait a bit for what will replace XX!

sounds like he's giddy about it all

[Selecter]

they almost sound like they've been in some type of self induced code bondage and Mr. Lincoln has just set them free. *mental images of xFree86 core team members doing the "freed slave" dance*

Obviously....

[eclectro]

It's hard to continue developement when members of the core group were abducted by aliens.

The aliens were interested in them because X11 has alien-like code embedded in it.

Re:I hope something replaces X

[harvalen]

Maybe a XY should be created for the non-lesbian females?

Re:Obviously....

[aliens]

*sigh* must we be blamed for everything?

We've seen that code and it's not like ours, if you're looking for your core group you might want to check the looney bin. ::)

Didn't they already replace X

[sinergy]

with NC-17?

The rise of project K12 : XouverK

[Anonymous Coward]

This is are opputunity, to Kombine, Konquer and rise to a new age in GUI design!

Look at the projects such as KDE 3.2 beta, Cairo, Looking glass, Karamba for example. They are researching new and innovative GUI's, but there is one problem, the X11 limitations are hurting them. Some of them are pushing X11 to the limit, looking at some sourcecode gives me nightmares!

Xouvert, KDE, Gnome and all other interested parties should join up to make it happen.

We need to update and break the current X11 protocal since there is a lot of kludges and write a new faster one, call it X12, unify GTK, Qt, Motif and more into one universal licencing freindly toolkit to run on X12. Integrate all the new technology such as vector widgets, antialasing, and stuff into this X12 toolkit and to symbolise this new change, rename it K12. There should be X11 compatibillity layer, like Mac OS Classic on OS X, just for the old apps such as propreitrey ones.

Then release KDE 4, rewritten in K12, along with the enhancements. K12 should be similar to an existing toolkit so it will be easy to port applications such as Gimp, OpenOffice, Mozilla and the rest. Since there is no more licencing issues with the new toolkit, no need to have seperate gnome/kde anymore, just one desktop environemnt. This will make things consistent, and allow stuff like copy and paste work PERFECTLY!

Then, integrate with Linux 2.6, and other technologies to make the Open Source Desktop dream come true : One unified desktop that is easy to use, yet MORE powerful than the command line.

This Neo-GUI plan may feel unreal, and maybe almost imposible with all the holy wars between X11, KDE, Gnome, and the others, but XouverK could come true if we realise we are only hidering ourselfs as of now! For example, why dosen't gimp use the KDE file dialog!

willful release of power?!?

[boog3r]

A good example of hope for the future that a group can decide it is no longer required. Look at this hypothetical email in comparison:

I'm very pleased to announce that a majority of the United States House of
Representatives and the United States Senate has voted in favor of my proposal to
disband the United States Congress.

I believe that this is an acknowlegement that the United States Congress was no longer
representative of the active, experienced and skilled population and local governments,
or a place where meaningful legislation happens.

Happy New Year to all!

Dennis
--
Dennis Hastert
Speaker of the House of the United States Congress
speaker.house.gov/

Letter from Darl?

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe SCO sent the developers a letter, after all SCO claims anything that looks unixy.
(is unixy a word?)

Re:"Core Team" models need to die.

[Anonymous Coward]

Purely out of interest, what kind of hardware does the framebuffer not work well on?

Winmodems?

That's Impossible!

[NanoWit]

How will XFree maintain control without the bureaucracy?

Re:That's Impossible!

[ballestra]

The regional governors now have direct control over their territories. Fear... will keep the local systems in line.

Predictions

[F.O.Dobbs]

You know... Nostradamus predicted all of this.

Re:Why a successor?

[Tim C]

There is nothing in it about the future of X86, which would be mine and many others big concern.

Don't worry - Intel, AMD, etc have far too much money invested in x86 to kill it off anytime soon

Re:From the link...

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, so I gave them a little adventure in their dreary lives. Sue me.

If your car hits my car, I will.

Drive safely -- or else you might find out that Natural Selection is still alive and well.

Re:Full text of email & analysis.

[Anonymous Coward]

there is a lack of willingness to get involved or a lack of skill of those who ARE willing or a lack of time for those who are both skillfull AND willing

Well I am willing and able! I just finished my 21 Days to VB.NET programming book so I will start routing through the code to see where they left off.

Re:Why a successor?

[Stinking Pig]

> Great! Now what?

Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, biblical?
Ray: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor... real Wrath-of-God-type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies.
Venkman: Rivers and seas boiling!
Egon: 40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanos.
Winston:The dead rising from the grave!
Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats, living together... mass hysteria!

A German article, translated by Google

[labradort]

This is the English translation of http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/jk-31.12.03-00 6/ [heise.de]
by the Google translater:

Core team of XFree86 separates on David H. Dawes, one the founder of the XFree86-Projekts for the development of a free x-server and present president of the company, which cares for the project, communicated in a Posting on the mailing list XFree86 Developer that the core team of the project will dissolve. Also on the Website from XFree86 meanwhile a short note with the announcement appeared. It is pleased that the majority core of the team its suggestion agreed, writes Dawes. This represents an acknowledgement of the fact that the core team does not represent no more the active, experienced and adept developers. Also it was no more place, at which technical discussions would have taken place. So far there are no further data, who is to resume the tasks, which the core team had actually taken over. In addition above all the supervision belonged over the general development of the project -- which probably the board OF Directors and/or the project responsible persons could carry out with XFree86, Inc.. David Dawes had supplied itself however already lately with some fellow combatants violent arguments, which led also to the door of individual project participants. Thus separated only in October Cygwin/XFree86 von XFree86.org. And Keith luggage pool of broadcasting corporations, over several years member of the XFree86-Kerntruppe, criticized for example already for a long time the development as too slow-acting and too closed -- and in March from the core team was excluded. Luggage pool of broadcasting corporations opened a new branch of development with Freedesktop/X server and supports the project Xouvert, in order to make a faster integration possible of new techniques and advancement (jk/c't)

It appears that Keith Packard is translated into "Keith luggage pool of broadcasting corporations"

Re:Related to the Cygwin blowup?

[Crazy Eight]

I have a lithp you insensive clod?

Re:Related to the Cygwin blowup?

[Alcohol Fueled]

"/flame on"

The Human Torch reads Slashdot! *gasp!*