Re: New maintainer

[John Wiegley]

>>>>> Phillip Lord <address@hidden> writes:

> I mention this not to stir up old arguments, but simply to point out that
> these arguments have not been resolved in the past. While I am hopeful that
> they will be resolved in the future, I suspect that trying to sort this
> issue out now is a side-track, which should not block discussion of the
> maintainership.

I realize we're on the 1000th round of this discussion, but I've not been
directly involved in it before, and it has a direct bearing on my willingness
to maintain Emacs.

Guiding a project's technical future requires devotion and enthusiasm, and a
certain degree of freedom. If the directions I want to take Emacs in are going
to be consistently hampered by the "needs of freedom", this will cause me to
lose all such energy.

I'm going be the one at conferences, talking to users, saying, "Yes, we know;
yes, it's a great idea; yes, it should be there; yes, I even want to do it
myself, yesterday; but talk to me in ten years when GCC has gotten around to
providing what we need."

I'm beginning to think GNU Emacs will need someone who also cares about the
freedom argument first, and the technical needs second, because I'm very much
concerned I would chomping at the bit to move forward, and unable to for
reasons I don't necessarily agree with.

John