It's just a proposal, not a requirement.

Source: The "British Media"

I think it's a pity if FOSS desktops really feel the need to compete with Microsoft and Apple. Those companies need to keep "innovating" in order to drive sales of their latest products -- something that FOSS is unhindered by.

Instead of bounding towards some super-slick desktop nirvana, more emphasis should be given to settling on a familiar and stable working environment.

People are adaptable and they can be extremely productive using systems with which they have grown familiar.

The qwerty keyboard is nothing like the perfect layout, but it is familiar. Imagine if every time you upgraded your PC you were forced to learn the latest "ergonomic" keyboard layout. It may be progress, but I'm happy with what I've got thanks.

The same goes for desktop environments.

Here in Britain the only photo ID I have is my driving licence and my passport, and I never carry either, to avoid losing them.

The only time I was pulled over by the police I was given a "producer" - 24 hrs to show my licence at a police station; my passport is only for going on holiday.

I suppose that's why government talk of ID cards causes such debate over here.

Just like the network called the Internet, there is no reason why online social networks need a central hub. Peer to peer social networks exist, as a concept at least.

I imagine that if the popularity of social networking had been foreseen by the developers of the nascent Internet, discussion of "whoever is the biggest" social network would be as ridiculous as asking who is the biggest Email network, or the biggest WWW network.

My hope is that one day there won't be a "biggest" social network, there will be only one.