Nifty -- and are there any mailing lists, and can we subscribe? (WWW
site looks a bit broken).
More power to you!
best,
-tony
On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 12:21:47 +1000, Ste
On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 12:21:47 +1000, Steve Youngs <steve@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> To Emacsians Everywhere!
>
> A few of you know what I am about to say, a few of you could probably
> make a pretty good educated guess, the rest of you... well, you're in
> for a treat.
>
> For quite a while now I've felt that only having 2 one true editors
> wasn't enough. So I have created a third.
>
> It is called "SXEmacs" and it is a fork of XEmacs 21.4.16.
>
> ,----[ Our Mission Statement: ]
> | To provide the Open Source community with a text editing and
> | development environment that is based on XEmacs and is 2nd to none
> | in regards to stability, features, and innovation.
> |
> | To foster a user and developer friendly project environment.
> |
> | And, above all, to have fun doing it.
> `----
>
> Before I go any further, please, if you wish to follow up to this
> message, observe the MFT header. Discussion of SXEmacs on the XEmacs
> and GNU/Emacs forums I've posted to here would not be appropriate.
> This is a one off post just to let people know what is going on.
>
> So why would I do such an incredibly foolish thing that probably has
> more chance of failing than succeeding? Well, isn't that reason
> enough?
>
> And for those of you who can't comprehend that, here are some more
> boring, mundane reasons:
>
> o I believe that XEmacs, even 21.4, is too broken and
> unstable.
>
> o I want to make some fairly radical changes that I know the
> Review Board would never go for.
>
> o I want a development environment that doesn't get boiled
> down in "politics".
>
> o I want more control of the project as a whole and at the
> same time make it easier for developers to contribute and
> become involved.
>
> Some of the items we have on our "todo" list (quotes there, because I
> just realised we don't actually have a physical list yet :-P):
>
> o Use GNU/arch (tla) for revision control instead of CVS.
> This is already done. My repo is at steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://arch.sxemacs.org/2004/
>
> o Have a written procedures and policies manual. (partially
> completed)
>
> o Use a PostgreSQL'd Bugzilla for issue tracking. (we have it
> in place but unfortunately the guy I have handling it for
> us broke something and currently we can't connect to it)
>
> o Move away from GNU coding standards in the C code and write
> code in a manner that the gods intended. I'm following fairly
> closely the Linux kernel in this regard. I have already run
> indent(1) over all the C code.
>
> o autoconf 2.5x compatible. (not begun)
>
> o Remove every scrape of Windoze code. (not begun) SXEmacs
> will _NOT_ run on Windoze.
>
> o Back port Mike Sperber's KKCC garbage collector from XEmacs
> 21.5. And at a later stage look at using the Boehm GC.
>
> o Back port Jerry James' DSO, bignum, bigfloat, and ratio work
> from XEmacs 21.5.
>
> o Multi-threading
>
> o Do away with the idea of a buffer being nothing more than a
> string.
>
> o FFI -- Foreign Function Interface (pretty much like DSO's
> but far more flexible)
>
> o Possibly move to a client/server model
>
> o A package system where the package tells SXEmacs where and
> how to get updates.
>
> It is our intention to maintain compatibility on the lisp level with
> XEmacs for as long as we can. Providing that compatibility doesn't
> hinder SXEmacs' growth and potential.
>
> For now in SXEmacs:
>
> (and running-xemacs
> running-sxemacs
> (featurep '(and sxemacs xemacs)))
> => t
>
> Our aim is _NOT_ to hinder the development or progress of either the
> XEmacs project or the GNU/Emacs project. In fact, it is exactly the
> opposite. Our innovations will benefit the other projects even if
> those innovations prove to be bad or unsuccessful.
>
> We don't wish to eventually become absorbed into the XEmacs (or
> GNU/Emacs) code base, and we have no desire for the opposite to
> happen.
>
> I'm a leader, not a follower, the SXEmacs Project is the same. I
> sincerely hope you can keep up with (even surpass) us.
>
> Everyone at the SXEmacs Project and myself would like to wish you and
> your families a very happy and safe New Year's.
>
> --
> |---<Steve Youngs>---------------<GnuPG KeyID: A94B3003>---|
> | In space, |
> | No one can hear you rip a stinky |
> |------------------------------------<steve@xxxxxxxxxxx>---|
>
>
>
--
best,
-tony
---
A.J. Rossini
blindglobe@xxxxxxxxx
|