[Oberon] [EXT] Re: all in one git tree

[Skulski, Wojciech]

This discussion is funny. We have not agreed what we want to achieve. We did not even pose the question. But we furiously discuss, how.

It is like discussing the technology of sharpening a saw in the middle of Sahara, where there is no wood to cut anywhere in sight.

Here are some questions to pose and try to answer before perhaps asking "how".

1. What is the goal or goals? 
  A new OS? 
  Preserving the old one better? 
  Merging the key distributions which grew slightly different? 
  Forcing collaboration among key persons?
 Something else?

2. Who will coordinate the effort?
  Let's not cheat ourselves: any project needs a leader. 
  W/o a leader the project will not even start.
  Will key persons agree on being managed?
  If not, then what is going to happen and how?

3. OS is NOT ASCII-based. There are important files which are not pure ASCII.
  Have you heard of a Procrustean Bed?
  Can one use the chosen ASCII-mostly tool to manage Oberon non-ASCII files?
  Is cutting off all the non-ASCII files a viable approach? 
  Can we declare all non-ASCII stuff "embellishments" and ban them, so the remaining ASCII can be better managed?
  Is the OS going to stay ASCII-only from now on simply because we adopted the ASCII-only tool?

 Saying non-ASCII I do not mean the program texts. I mean all the panels, elements, drawings, documents, etc. The fact that 2013 edition does not include formatted documents does not imply that they do not exist elsewhere, or that they should not get reintroduced.

I somehow feel that w/o even posing these question this discussion is not even academic. Fortunately, it will subside and the status quo will come back. Nothing will change because nobody is seeking an agreement what should change, why, and how. In that sense this discussion will be harmless. Fruitless, but also harmless. 

Long live Oberon the way it is now. It will continue!

W.