In message <800994.16379...@web111312.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
WP Blatchley <willblatch...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
> Well despite Rob Kenricks's probably highly accurate description of
> how development for RISC OS is ("hateful"!), I am interested, and have
> expressed that interest on the developers' mailing list. And I'm not
> the only one.
> I've had quick responses to the (so far few) questions I've asked, and
> I believe that the existing NetSurf developers will continue to bend
> over backwards to help anyone with the time and inclination to
> maintain the RISC OS front end. They just haven't got the time or the
> inclination to do it themselves. I'm sure everyone here can understand
> that.
> Right now my time is very limited, just like most other people's.
> However, I am looking over the sources in the little free time I do
> have, and I'm starting to get a feel for things. I fully expect to be
> able to make a positive contribution to the project in time, but I
> can't just pick up such a large software project and start committing
> code without a pretty serious investment of time. So patience is
> required before I, or anyone else I should think, can get up to speed
> with the project and fill in the gaps. I would therefore understand if
> the core developers wanted to drop RISC OS support and merge their
> improvements for now to prevent this stall in development affecting
> the other platforms for any longer than it has already.
> That doesn't mean I or somebody else can't be working on getting the
> RISC OS front end back into shape at a later date, does it? It would
> just mean RISC OS autobuilds had to stop for a period, I think.
> Correct me if I'm wrong!
> WPB
I'm in exactly the same position as WPB. In time I hope to be able
to contribute but currently I'm not "a developer", I'm a software
test engineer and although I write lots of code I've only ever
"developed" RISC OS applications using Basic (because its excellent
for achieving quick results in doing real work). I'll be trying
to improve my C skills (which hopefully will also help my day job).
As with seemingly everyone else, time is in short supply, but
hopefully between us we can do enough maintenance to keep the RISC
OS front end going.
I might be sticking my neck out here but I have a feeling that many
of the regular users of RISC OS (and thus frequent users of NetSurf)
are actually old phogies (like me!) and perhaps feel they are past
learning new skills. In fact somebody said that earlier in the thread.
In my experience the 'young whippersnappers' move on to other
platforms where there is masses of new stuff for them to get their
teeth into and show off their skills. I use RISC OS all day, every
day, to accomplish real work and its the easiest to use and most
responsive and intuitive and time-efficient OS I use. Frankly,
Windows and all the flavours of unix-like OSs keep annoying me by
their over-feature-rich, cosmetically snazzy, but bloody awkward
UIs. All I want is a reasonable browser on RISC OS (and I've been
waiting 20 years for it!) NetSurf is good as far as it goes, but
there is lots to do. As has happened with so much other RISC OS
software, it looks like if its going to progress I'll have to do it
myself (together with a few other willing bods).
Now, ask yourself, how much code could have been written if
contributors had not been raking over the coals in this thread?
Shall we get on with the job now? For my part, I'm just looking
through the sources and over the weekend will attempt to get it
building. If that goes OK I'll look at something on the todo list
that I feel I can do and take it from there.
Finally, I would like to say how grateful I am to the NetSurf
developers for getting it thus far. I'm disappointed that they don't
feel inclined to maintain the RISC OS front end because I'm sure they
could do a better job than me, but, as the creators of NetSurf, they
are entitled to do what they like.
Mike
