diff options
Diffstat (limited to '')
| -rw-r--r-- | 2020/info/39.md | 527 |
1 files changed, 527 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/2020/info/39.md b/2020/info/39.md index 60d9cbf4..814cbf98 100644 --- a/2020/info/39.md +++ b/2020/info/39.md @@ -3,9 +3,11 @@ Richard Stallman [[!template id=vid src="https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--richard-stallman.webm" size="282M" subtitles="/2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--richard-stallman.vtt" duration="6:56"]] [Download compressed .webm video (20.8M)](https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/smaller/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--richard-stallman--vp9-q56-video-original-audio.webm) +[View transcript](#transcript) [[!template id=vid src="https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--questions--richard-stallman.webm" size="470M" subtitles="/2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--questions--richard-stallman.vtt" duration="46:42" download="Download Q&A video"]] [Download compressed Q&A .webm video (44M)](https://mirror.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/emacsconf/2020/smaller/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--questions--richard-stallman--vp9-q56-video-original-audio.webm) +[View transcript for Q&A](#transcript-questions) <!-- from the pad ---> - Actual start and end time (EST): Start: 2020-11-29T11.09.04 ; Q&A: 2020-11-29T11.15.59; End: 2020-11-29T12.04.31 @@ -217,3 +219,528 @@ s.el - that made me aware that there's an issue here. Beautifully written packag - GNU ELPA is one big git repository, and giving someone access grants them access to everything. - Note from RMS: "If someone who has condemned me unjustly takes it back, that will make it safe for me to empathize with any feelings of hurt that pers might have felt as a result of the misunderstanding and I will be very glad to show compassion." + +<!-- transcript: 2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--richard-stallman.vtt --> + +<a name="transcript"></a> +# Transcript + +Hello, I'm Richard Stallman, founder of the GNU project. In 1976, I +developed the first Emacs editor with some help from Guy Steele. +Then, shortly after starting to develop the GNU operating system in +1984, I wanted an Emacs editor for it. So I started writing GNU Emacs +in September 1984. + +(00:29) Several years ago we decided to move many of the Emacs Lisp +packages outside the core Emacs distribution into a separate package +archive that we call the Emacs Lisp package archive ELPA. There were +two main reasons for this. One is to make the Emacs distribution +smaller so every user wouldn't have to get all the packages and +install all the packages. And the other reason was to make it possible +to release individual packages separately from Emacs releases. + +(01:08) Now, at that point somehow we decided to support loading +packages from a variety of different Emacs Lisp package archives and +ours would be called the GNU ELPA, but ELPA could be any other. Now, I +think that naming was a mistake. We should have meant, we should have +decided that ELPA referred to our package archive and any other +package archive should be called some other name. Oh, well! Uh this is +a mistake I believe, because it leads to a lot of confusion it would +have been clearer if we had uh used the other naming. + +(01:55) Because the difference between having a package in core Emacs +and having it in GNU ELPA, is purely a practical convenience matter. +Convenience of distribution and convenience of maintenance. We wanted +to be able to move packages between the two whenever that was +convenient. So, to make that possible we insisted on getting copyright +assignments for packages in GNU ELPA just the same way we do for +packages in core Emacs. + +(02:31) Having the facility for installing packages from package +archives, led to a tremendous boost in the development and release of +Emacs packages. Unfortunately there was a problem with the way that +was done. For the most part, the developers of these packages wouldn't +even tell us about them. They posted them in another package archive +where we didn't know about them and (where they) no attempt was made +to try to fit them into Emacs so that they could make sense as parts +of the Emacs distribution. This led to both moral problems, packages +that depended on non-free software in order to be usable and technical +problems because the developers of those packages didn't coordinate +with us about how to make it useful and convenient and clean to have +them in Emacs. + +(03:36) So, the idea of NonGNU ELPA is an effort to smooth these +things out. The fundamental plan of NonGNU ELPA is that, we won't ask +for copyright assignments for those packages. So, we won't be able to +put them into core Emacs; at least not easily, but we will have some +control over how we distribute them. We can put any package into +NonGNU ELPA as long as it's free software. If we like it we can set up +that way for users to get it. We could put the package in exactly as +it is if there's no problem at all with it. We can make an arrangement +with the package's developers to work on it with us and maintain it +directly for distribution by NonGNU ELPA but if they are not +interested we can put it in ourselves and if we need to make any +changes we can do so. + +(04:52) So, NonGNU ELPA is not meant to be just a way that others can +distribute their packages. It's meant at least in a minimal technical +sense to work with GNU Emacs, and we'll make changes if necessary so +that it works smoothly with Emacs. And this means that we're going to +maintain it differently from GNU ELPA. Well, GNU ELPA is hosted in a +way that is actually rather inconvenient. It is one single Git +repository. And so anybody that has access to write it can write any +part of it. There are many different packages in there maintained by +different people, and we have no way to give each one of them access +to per own package and not to the others. Well, with NonGNU ELPA we +plan to fix that. The idea is to have a single Git repository where +you can download various packages from. But, they won't be maintained +there. Each of those packages will be copied automatically from some +other place. Probably some other repository where the right people +have access to work on it. And this way we can avoid giving a gigantic +number of people access to every part of it. So far NonGNU ELPA is +just a plan, we need people to implement the plan. So, if you would +like to help please write to me. I think this is a very important step +for progress and it's got to be implemented. Thanks and happy hacking! + +<!-- /transcript --> + + +<!-- transcript: 2020/subtitles/emacsconf-2020--39-nongnu-elpa--questions--richard-stallman.vtt --> + +<a name="transcript-questions"></a> +# Transcript: Q&A + +Okay. So, the first question is, "What is an example of a package +currently in a non-ELPA repo that does not work well with Emacs?" +Well, one of them is s.el, and this is what made me aware that there +was an issue here that caused problems. Well, s.el is a beautifully +written package that appears to be very useful for people. And there's +just one thing wrong with it. It gobbled up the name space of symbols +starting with s dash. And I was shocked to discover that somebody who +had not coordinated with the Emacs developers at all, had implemented +a package using such a short prefix, which isn't the right way to do +things. Oh, by the way, the questions have moved off the screen, this +is no good. I can continue answering this one, but I'll be stuck when +this one is over. Anyway, so… I was told that there was nothing I +could do about it, that so many users, packages were using s.el and +thus essentially using that definition of the s-* symbols, that any +attempt to use them publicly or privately for anything else would lead +to horrible problems. And I don't like that. I decided, I wanted to +do something a) so that wouldn't happen again and b) to make it +unhappen in that case. Well, the way to make it unhappen in that case +is with a new symbol renaming feature. The idea is, you rename that +file to something else, and then you define an s.el that sets up +symbol renaming and then loads the something else. So, it actually +runs the same code, it just doesn't globally define the symbols s dash +whatever, but they appear to work for the programs that explicitly +require s.el or the s package. So, this gets the same behavior for all +the programs that are using that library and doesn't interfere with +the global name space at all. However, to do that we need to have a +package s.el, that isn't the same totally. A short one file that's +totally different. Plus, we've got to have the file that normally is +called s.el available, but under another name. Well, how are we going +to do that? We can't put this into Emacs in a nice way that won't make +the maintainer angry. (or the developer of that package.) But we can +do it with NonGNU ELPA. We can put those two things into NonGNU ELPA +without any difficulty. And this shows one of the advantages. We can +put files, we can put packages into NonGNU ELPA and make changes in +them. Now, in general we wouldn't go to the effort of making big +changes. That's just too much to do unless something's really +important. But small changes that help things fit in are easy to +do. Okay, oh, so basically the recording didn't get anything until +now. I just saw a note pop up, "this session is now being recorded". I +hope it's been recorded all along. It would be a shame to spoil… Oh, +good okay. So, that's one of the issues. + +(04:27) "Does NonGNU ELPA already exist or is this a sort of "plan"?" +I don't know why you have to put scare quotes around the word plan. +It's sort of in between. The creation of it is started. You will find +that there is an archive that it's possible to download packages from, +and there is a repository to put them in, but that's not the way it's +really supposed to work. This is not supposed to be like the GNU ELPA, +where there's one repo for all the packages and thus anyone who wants +to edit any of them, anyone that we want to have edit any of them, has +got to have access to the whole thing for one thing. Some packages +will make an arrangement with the developers, and they'll assure us +that they will do things as things should be done, and then we'll have +their repo copied automatically or in other cases, say, copied +manually with a little checking every so often. In other cases we'll +need to have our own repo for a particular package. But we shouldn't +have a single repo for all the packages. We should have a repo for +each package, so that the people working on that can get access to +modify it. This has to be finished setting up, and we're still working +out the procedures. For instance, for making the arrangements with the +developers of a package so that we can, we hope, entrust its +development to them and rely on them directly. And there may be more +that needs to be worked on. Oh! There's so many questions. + +(06:36) Well, I hope you… The third question is, what are the +benefits? I hope that people now see the benefits. I've described +them. + +(06:46) Next question, "Is it possible to work with the MELPA team to +integrate that into Emacs?" No, because the goal doesn't make sense. +MELPA the way it's done, does not belong inside Emacs in any +sense. Well, first of all, it can't literally be inside Emacs. We +don't have copyright assignments for that code and to get it would be +unfeasible, but we're not asking for copyright assignments for NonGNU +ELPA so that's you might wonder could MELPA be merged with NonGNU +ELPA? The problem is, MELPA doesn't modify the packages. It's just a +place to find releases of packages wherever they happen to be, and +they put packages in with only a little bit of checking. So, no. There +are a lot of packages that are in MELPA that we'd like to get into +NonGNU ELPA. I don't know the names of most of them, but I expect most +of them would be fine to have. But they've got to be looked at one by +one. There are some rules for NonGNU ELPA, and the only way to check +them is to check them on one package at a time, and that's going to +take effort. Now, with the people who work on MELPA want to get +involved of this, that would be great. I haven't tried asking +them. First we've got to get this thing set up. I doubt they would +want to, but if they said yes, that would be wonderful. + +(08:44) "Any thoughts of packages being added…" I'm afraid. Any +thoughts of packages being added as some URL I don't know anything +about, but it talks about open source, which means I'm very unlikely +to have much in common with whatever they say about either licensing +or what's right and wrong. But this seems to be something about +disregarding licenses altogether. Well, that is basically asking to +lose. There are reasons why we developed GNU licenses to release +software, why we have criteria for which licenses make a program free +software. If the program doesn't carry a license or if it carries a +non-free license, that program is not free software. Now, you can +maybe get away with disregarding that fact unless somebody, an author +or publisher stops you. But we're not going to take… we're not +basically going to disregard the question of whether the software we +recommend to people, really is free software or not. That's basically +blindfolding yourself to the legal situation of the software you're +distributing, it's a terrible idea. If they disregard our licenses +they will hear from us about it. And if you want to contribute to the +free world put free licenses on your code and choose good ones. To get +this information, look at gnu.org/licenses, and one page that's +important is license-recommendations.html, that's where we advise you +on what license we would recommend you use depending on the +circumstances. There's also license-list.html which describes a lot of +licenses and says which ones are free, which ones are compatible with +the GNU GPL. It's really important to use only GPL compatible licenses +so that the various programs can be combined together or linked. You +can also get other information about GNU licenses and the reasons why +they are written the way they are. Oh sorry, I don't see the next +question. + +(12:03) "Why do I insist on using per and pers?" I'm not happy with +using they, which is a plural pronoun with a singular antecedent. +It's bad because it causes confusion that is completely gratuitous. +Many sentences become a lot of work to parse and understand if you add +that ambiguity, that source of regular ambiguity. Now, I do not accept +the demands of other people in regard to changing my grammar. You can +try to convince me, but no one is entitled to give me orders about +that or state their desires and expect obedience, not for me and not +from you or anyone. We are all equally entitled to decide how we will +speak and how we won't speak. I've spelled out all of these points in +a file called stallman.org/articles/genderless-pronouns.html +(corrected), of course, this is not a GNU project policy, it's my own +personal ideas on the subject. If any of you feels offended by my +referring to you with a singular gender-neutral pronoun, feel free to +contact me privately and explain to me your reasons. I will pay +attention to them, I'll think about them assuming that they're not +something I've already considered and decided to dismiss before. But +you must not speak to me as if I had no business not obeying you +because that's rude, and it is not likely to convince me to change my +mind. I believe it is not actually of stating offense to anyone, and +the fact that somebody disagrees with me does not mean I'm wrong, but +I always can be wrong. + +(15:00) "When you wrote that you could add a package to NonGNU ELPA, +are you implying that you would add packages with or without package +maintainer's knowledge?" Of course, the packages we would distribute +in this way are free software. Everyone is entitled to redistribute +them and everyone is also entitled to modify them and redistribute +them, that's part of the meaning of free software. I have been unable +to understand how there came to be an idea that those who redistribute +packages have some obligation to be mere mirrors and not modify things +themselves. Well, if a package is being maintained by developers who +are cooperating with us, we'll normally just leave it to them. After +all, we have lots of other work to do. They are clearly experts on the +packages they've developed, let's leave it to them if they make that +sort of arrangement with us. But that's up to them, we can't insist +that anyone make an arrangement with us, but since those programs are +free software, anyone is free to redistribute them, and we will do +that. + +(16:41) "Have you ever used vi or vim or evil mode?" No. + +(16:52) "Are there any plans to implement security considerations in +NonGNU ELPA?" We probably should, and this will have to be +implemented, but at the moment developer Emacs maintainers will copy +packages into it, and so as long as they are verifying the packages +and getting the packages from the right place that will take care of +the security. Once there is… When with automatic copying in, will have +to do something to make sure that we're fetching the packages +securely. Some of you might be interested in helping to design and +implement this system. "What distro do I use?" + +(17:52) Well, which distro of GNU/Linux do I use? I use Trisquel, I +haven't tried most of the free distros and the reason is, it's not +crucial that I do so, we don't need me to rate the various free +distros on practical questions because anyone can do that as well as I +can. And so you can tell people what you think of using them. For me, +what's important to me is to inform people of the difference between +the free distros and the non-free distros, making sure people are +aware that if you install a non-free GNU/Linux distro, you'll get a +free operating system with non-free stuff in various quantities added, +thus you will not reach freedom, although you'll make a lot of +progress compared with using for instance, Windows or macOS or +whatever vicious thing it might be. I'd like people to be aware of +this next step towards getting freedom for yourself and your own +computing, so that you can do that if you want to. + +(19:29) "Who gets to make the final decision regarding NonGNU ELPA?" +The Emacs maintainers are going to be in charge of this, because it's +not just a technical decision it has with only technical consequences +but in general unless there's some severe problem with the package we +will want to put it in, and I expect most packages won't have a +problem, and we can just put them in when we get to them. + +(20:11) "Won't the ELPA link to non-free sites like GitHub?" It's a +mistake to talk about a non-free site, because a site is not a +program. A program is either free or non-free, and we have clearly +stated criteria for that in gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html we have +the free software definition, but a site, well, there're programs on +it, but it doesn't make sense to ask whether the site is free or not, +it's too simplistic a question to have a meaningful answer. Now, one +thing you can ask about is, does the site send JavaScript to the +user's machine, to the user's browser and if so, is that JavaScript +non-free. Well, GitHub does send non-free JavaScript for some +operations, so we consider it unsatisfactory as a repository, but that +doesn't mean linking to it is a bad thing to do regardless of what the +purpose is. For instance, if the purpose is to refer to some things +that you can access without running the non-free JavaScript, then it's +okay for that purpose. So, if now that you understand the details of +this issue, you think that there is a problem with the link to caml…, +there's, sorry, a link in caml.html, well, report it to bug-gnu-emacs, +report it as an Emacs bug, but do think about the criteria I've just +said because maybe it's not a problem. + +(22:18) "Is it okay to use the GNU Affero GPL for Emacs packages?" +Yes it is. + +(22:28) "Which is your favorite programming language? If Lisp, which +variant?" Well, I don't exactly have a favorite variant, but when I +designed Emacs Lisp, I did the best thing I could think of at the +time, subject to the need to keep it small. For the first few years it +was important for GNU Emacs to run in a machine which could only give +it half a meg of user space. So, there are a lot of constructs that +clearly were desirable to include that I left out because we could +make it work without them and then a lot of those have been added +since because it's been a long time since we needed to keep Emacs so +rigorously small. + +(23:40) Someone is asking about the FSF's repository project. Well, we +agreed that there would be another virtual machine running one of +those for the GNU project, but that's as far as the discussion went. + +(24:15) Question 17 is extremely insulting! I have not engaged in +sexual harassment, don't expect me to plead guilty to such a nasty +claim. People have been accusing me of many things, some of which are +basically mole hills and some of which are false. So, I'm not going to +give them anything, I have been bullied in a horrible way, that was +wrong. I would like the bullies to apologize to me, and when I see +that they're not bullying, I will forgive them. I would like to have +conversations with them if any of the mole hills annoyed someone, I'm +happy to talk with per and thus help resolve things with peace. And my +opinion on "diversity" within Emacs. Well, Emacs is never going to be +diverse, it is extended in one language, Emacs Lisp. Well, I don't +know, we did have an idea of implementing extensibility using Scheme +and the hope was that Guile could be integrated with Emacs, that +turned out to be difficult, it may be impossible but in principle it +might be a good thing, that would be a small amount of diversity, but +it's not that important. What I think is really important for +developing Emacs is to make it do word processing. I sometimes use +LibreOffice, and yeah I can make it do things. It has features for +WYSIWYG which are very nice, but it's in other regards, it's not +Emacs, and it doesn't have the abilities of Emacs, and it should. So, +I urge people to work on extending Emacs in that direction adding the +features that a word processor has to have. + +(27:13) The last question I can answer is 18. Yes, it's a very sad +thing how many companies insist on using non-free software. Well, I +would get a different kind of job, that's a decision I made many years +ago early in the GNU project, I decided, I would not… first I would +not get a job developing non-free software. And later on I decided, +once I could stop using non-free software, that is once we had a +GNU/Linux system that we could switch over to and… Oh, wait. I thought +magic wand time meant it was time to stop, but now I rather ask the +question. So, what do you do, well, if I were you, I'd probably not +work for any of those companies. If I needed to make money, I'd get a +job, but I get some other kind of job that didn't involve using +software or that let me choose the software I would use. But I would +live cheaply, you know, the less you spend, the less you need to make +and the more time you can take away from your paid work and the more +flexibility you have in which paid work you can do. Being in a +position to say no to avoid being desperate to say yes strengthens +your position, and you need that. One way you can help do that is by +not having children. Now, that is a tangent, but it can't be denied +that raising children is very expensive, I have heard many people say +that they are uncomfortable with their jobs, but they have to do those +jobs to make enough money to support their children. Well, think +about that, be aware that's likely to happen to you, before you make +that decision. + +(30:06) "What would I change about free software?" Well, since this is +magic, I would magically find a way of showing everyone why most free +software needs to be copy lefted, so that our community would not +basically submit to abuse by proprietary software developers. Of +course, I could go further if I could magically recruit a hundred +thousand good programmers to do lots of work improving free software. +We might… Well, if we could do this 20 years ago, we might have wiped +out non-free systems, and then we wouldn't have had horrible things +like World Wide Web DRM, that no one has the courage to resist if +they're desperately trying to get money for anything, and if they need +approval of companies, of the big companies that push for DRM, then +they don't dare even resist as much as they can resist. And look what +happened to the World Wide Web consortium, they surrendered blatantly +and ignominiously by endorsing the DRM system. So what can you do? I +don't have a magic wand, I'm a human being with the capabilities I +have, but the advantage of great firmness in campaigning for free +software, and this enables me to do things that no one else will do. + +(32:27) "What tools from pre-UNIX days do you miss?" Well, I don't. I +don't think about them with missing them actually. It was sort of nice +to have ddt as your login shell. So, in using modern terminology, +because that meant at any time you could stop a program, load its +debugging symbols, and start examining the data in the +instructions. You could debug it that way, and then you could even +patch in instructions to continue running that job with the bug fixed, +in fact, you could even do this with the system kernel, so that your +jobs wouldn't get lost. I did that quite a few times, of course, +sometimes I saw what was wrong, and I just had to fix a piece of data, +but sometimes it took me a long time to figure out how to get the +system to keep on going. But with the work I had done, I didn't want +to lose that work, and, so one of the first features I put into GNU +Emacs was auto save. + +(33:47) I'm not going to try to figure out which packages I actually +used. + +(33:54) "If I knew, I would get hit by a bus tomorrow, say because of +a fortune-teller." No, a fortune-teller doesn't give you any +knowledge, it's just superstitious hand waving. So, assuming that I +talked… that I got a reading from a fortune-teller, which is +implausible enough to begin with, that wouldn't give me any knowledge +about what was going to happen to me. Oh, by the way fortune-tellers +generally play back to you facts that they've discovered about you +together with cold reading, which means, they say things calculated to +make it appear that they know more than they do or things that sound +wise to anyone, so you can say the same thing to, say, 100 people and +80 or 90 of them will say, "boy that was really accurate". But what if +for some reason… "What advice would I give for stewardship of Emacs?" +Well, basically focus on keeping the community strong in defending +freedom, if you have a choice between keeping the community strong in +defending freedom and getting more people to participate in the +development, you've got to choose the freedom. It is very easy for +free software projects to subordinate freedom to other criteria, and +once that happens, it's easy for those who don't care much about +freedom, such as, sometimes companies that might offer you some money +to purchase your soul, not that there are really things that exist +called souls, it's a metaphor, but it's an important metaphor for +something important. People in the community have to be thinking about +freedom when they make decisions about what is wise to do. The +decision to set up NonGNU ELPA has a drawback, it was a compromise. +Now, a lot of people will tell you that I am uncompromising and say +that, that's a flaw. Well, they're wrong. I make little compromises +very often, and occasionally I make a medium-sized compromise. The +compromise is, in the past we wanted to get copyright assignments for +the packages in GNU ELPA, so that we could move them into core Emacs, +and of course, sometimes we move packages in the other direction, that +way where we distribute a given package, is something we can decide +purely technically. And however make insisting on getting copyright +assignments for all the packages in GNU ELPA meant that we had to say +"sorry, no, we will not install that package in GNU ELPA, unless the +authors sign copyright assignments". And sometimes that's a lot of +trouble. Well, NonGNU ELPA won't require copyright assignments. If +there's a free package, we can make whatever changes, presumably +small, otherwise, we would probably say we don't have time, and then +put it in. But it does have the drawback that, in general we won't be +able to move those packages into core Emacs without getting the legal +papers then that we didn't get before. + +(38:20) "How do you see the future of GNU Emacs?" I don't see the +future. I used to say that my crystal ball is cloudy today, +unfortunately, that has another meaning which is quite ironic. We +certainly don't want our lives to be somewhere in a cloud, because +that clouds remind, and then people start cheating you and taking +advantage of you, and it's horrible. But I don't see the future, I +just can be sure from the past that there will be challenges where +some of the people involved want to make a big compromise that isn't +worth it, and they may even get the impression that it's up to +them. Well, actually Emacs has appointed maintainers just as every GNU +package does, and they are the ones in charge of developing that +package, and this is for a good reason because the appointed +maintainers take responsibility to carry out the GNU project policies, +and most important of all are the ones that make the whole system work +together, and the ethical standards to respect freedom and defend +freedom. + +(39:59) "Is there any plan to move more packages from core Emacs into +ELPA?" I don't know whether there is a plan, I suppose if there's a +plan, we probably would have done it. If there had been a plan, some +have been moved. I don't see this as a fundamentally important issue, +it's a matter of what's convenient for the users, and their advantages +and disadvantages to each choice. + +(40:29) "What is your opinion on higher education requiring non-free +software, for instance…" Well, I wouldn't matriculate in a school +which did that, unless I saw a way I could refuse. Now, of course, I +do this because I can get away with it, and therefore my doing it is +extremely important to show somebody does resist. I don't expect most +people who support free school, who advocate free software to go that +far. I published an article in the spring entitled saying no even once +is helping, saying no to non-free software even once, because the more +you do it, the more you help, but even doing it a little in a way that +other people notice, is starting to help. So, please don't think that +your choices are either be as firm and stubborn as I am or just give +up and let yourself drift helplessly as if you had no volition. There +are a lot of points in between there, and you can surely manage to say +no some of the time and show people an example of saying no some of +the time, for instance, you could say to people, "You know I hate the +fact that my school makes me use Zoom, so whenever I'm not being +forced, I'm not going to use it". Or "I hate the fact that the only +way I can talk to that group of people is with Zoom, but for anything +else I will feel better about myself if I don't". See, lots of ways to +say no some of the time, and yield some of the time, and when you try +saying no occasionally, you may just develop the ability to say no +more often. Now, whether you would ever get to be as stubborn as I am? +I don't know, but what I find is that I like the fact that I've never +made this kind of compromise. I feel I have a reputation to maintain, +nobody's forcing me, but I get satisfaction out of maintaining…, out +of being able to continue to say I will not. And that also can happen +at various different levels, so, you can get that satisfaction of +fully maintaining a refusal that applies only to certain areas. (Amin: +since it's noon already, let's maybe take one or two more questions +and then break for the lunch break) Okay. (Amin: Thank you). + +(44:03) "How often do you personally use Emacs?" is the lowest +question now. Well, I use it most of the day. I occasionally do use +other things, in fact, I occasionally edit with LibreOffice, I +occasionally use media players, I occasionally ssh to a machine and +type some commands on it, which occasionally includes running Emacs on +it. I read PDF files a lot, would be nice if you could get those into +Emacs, so that I could read them with Emacs commands, and I maybe even +edit them with the Emacs commands when they can be edited. I use +Xournal sometimes to write on a PDF file. "Are there any more +interesting projects you have in mind over and above NonGNU ELPA?" I +can't think of one right now, well, there are things that the GNU +project needs doing, there are packages that don't have maintainers or +could use more maintainers. Talk with maintainers@gnu.org, and the +assistant GNUisances will help you find a package where you can do +good. Not for beginners though, you got to learn a substantive +substantial level of capacity to develop and debug programs before you +can be a maintainer. + +(46:00) "Have I ever looked at Magit?" No, I haven't, but I believe +work is being done to get it put into Emacs, and at that point I'll +give it a try. I do not want to share my configuration files they're +personal. How about if we end this now? (Amin: sounds good to me, +thank you very much Richard for joining in for live questions.) Okay. + +<!-- /transcript --> |