Gnome History

The GNOME ProjectTen years of freedom

Carlos García Campos

[email protected]

Carlos García Campos The GNOME Project

History

1995: Windows 95!

1996: The KDE project founded by Matthias Ettrich

1997: The GNOME Project is announced by Miguel deIcaza


Why GNOME?

GNU Network Object Model Environment

The were too many technologies missed in the freesoftware world compared to Windows 95

Inconsistencies among X-Window applications

KDE was very promising but it depended on (in thatmoment) non-free software (Qt)

Miguel is interviewed at Microsoft where he knew ActiveXand COM technologies.

When he went back to Mexico he and Federico MenaQuintero started to design GNOME.


How to start?

libapp: first attempt to fix the consistency problems inLinux. It was never finished.

GNUstep: it was still to young to be used.

Miguel contacted TrollTech to propose and alternatelicense schema for Qt be never got a reply.

Qt replacement: it was going to be less efficient and itwould have taken too long.GIMP: GNU Image Manipulating Progam

The first application for end users that is completely free.It used its own graphic toolkit: GTK+ (The Gimp ToolKit)GTK+ is separated from Gimp becoming the first graphictoolkit free and viable.

In August 1997 the creation of the GNOME project isannounced in several mailing lists.


First steps

GNOME 0.10: single package containing libraries andsome applications like the panel.

GNOME 0.20: first version really suitable to be distributed.Several packages (core, admin, games, libs, media, etc.)

GNOME 0.99: November 1998

GNOME 1.0: March 1999.


GNOME 0.x


GNOME 1.x

GNOME 1.0: too many bugs. Unstable.

October GNOME (1.0.55): first GNOME version reallyconsidered stable.

GNOME based companies: Eazel, Helix Code, Henzai

March 2000: First GUADEC in Paris supported bycompanies like Telecom Paris, Helix Code, Red Hat, SuSE,LinuxCare, or MandrakeSoft

May 2000: April GNOME (1.2). Important changes in theGUI and architecture .

August 2000: GNOME Foundation supported bycompanies like Compaq, Eazel, Gnumatic, Helix Code,Henzai, IBM, Red Hat, Sun Microsystems andorganizations like the Free Software Foundation and theObject Management Group


GNOME 1.2


GNOME 1.4

Released in April 2001

Bonobo!

Nautilus

Apps: Evolution, Gnumeric, Abiword

Second GUADEC in Copenhagen mainly focused onGNOME 2.0


GNOME 1.4


The long way to GNOME 2

GNOME 1.4 problems:Lack of integrationToo many configuration optionsNot suitable for end users (Does your mom use GNOME?)

A new developer platform is needed

Usability

Accessibility

Bonobo consolidation

Third GUADEC in Sevilla.


GNOME 2.0

New development platformBackwards API/ABI compatibilityAccessibility framework (Sun Microsystems)PangoGNOME-VFSBonoboGObjectGDKPixbuf

Usability: simpler and easier to use desktop.


GNOME 2.0


Gnome History

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