Some notes on Fedora and Mono

From: Rahul Sundaram <sundaram fedoraproject org>

To: For discussions about marketing and expanding the Fedora user base <fedora-marketing-list redhat com>

Subject: Some notes on Fedora and Mono

Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:08:05 +0530

-------- Original Message -------- From: Rahul Sundaram To:: Chris <chris AT linuxactionshow.com>, bryan AT linuxactionshow.com, Hubert Figuiere <hub AT figuiere.net> Hi Bryan and Chris, I had a chance to hear your commentary or more of a rant on Mono and Fedora. http://www.jupiterbroadcasting.com/?p=876 As the maintainer of Gnote in Fedora, I think I should add a few clarifications and correct some factual inaccuracies in your podcast. In about 1:20 hrs, Bryan adds a comment that Gnote cannot import Tomboy notes. This is completely incorrect. Gnote and Tomboy use the same file format and Gnote in 0.5 version even has a plugin to import Tomboy notes on the first run. It would have been trivial to verify this for yourself. On the size issue - Tomboy and F-Spot has been default in Fedora for quite sometime. However from Fedora 10 onwards, it hasn't been in the *Live CD* because of space constraints and none of the Mono apps would be installed by default if you install via the Live CD. Since Gnote is written in C++ and the dependencies related to that including the gtkmm packages were already in the Live CD due to other applications, including Gnote by default in the Live CD is more easier. Installation via DVD images doesn't have the same constraints and can have a different set of defaults. The release notes draft for Fedora 12 Beta published early, already has all this information https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_12_Beta_release_notes#GNOME_2.28 Before painting a broad stroke and accusing developers of lying or being incompetent, it would be better to contact them and get a direct opinion to cover the full story. Adobe Flash - I have heard no one in Fedora claiming that Red Hat Legal is looking into it. It simply isn't included because Fedora doesn't include any proprietary applications. I think comparing the decision to include or exclude any particular application, by default or otherwise to DRM is over the top as well. I came across a blog post at http://the-gay-bar.com/index.php?/archives/314-Linux-Action-Show-Season-10,-Episode-7-Cleaning-up-the-mess/ which conveys what I wanted to say about that. As of now, Fedora continues to include the latest Mono applications in the repository. It was a long podcast and I could add more clarifications but suffice to say that you both went high on emotions and low on facts. Next time, you aren't sure of the details about anything related to Fedora, feel free to contact us and we can help you understand why we make the decisions we do. Thank you for your time. Rahul