They're certainly outrageous, but they're not predictions.
What's the actual prediction here? That all of these happen? That at least one happens? That there's a 1% chance of at least one of them happening?
Here's a prediction I'm much more confident in: when none of these predictions turn out to be correct, these people will pat them selves on the back and say that the point was never to be right but to provoke a conversation. Or they'll twist themselves into a pretzel about how something totally different happening totally validates the real point they were trying to make with one of their "predictions".
This may explain why, according to my anecdotal case, Twitter web app "Report Tweet" flows and Notifications are currently broken (for example, Report an issue modal "done" click starts acting like browsers back nav, randomly). Some Twitter features have been really wonky for the last 2 days or so.
The GNOME devs sound like total asses. I went to the ticket linked in that post and then checked the Tweets that the GNOME guys didn't like. I actually thought for a second that I ended up linked to the wrong Tweets because nothing looks wrong with them!
This is not the time for the GNOME devs to be so hostile. People have been upset with the direction of GNOME since version 3. They're basically ensuring that people will jump ship now.
I don't get this criticism. That's one developer explaining their own development style, not representative of the whole project. And that mismatch and self-centeredness you describe is present in every open source community I've ever seen. Almost every project is underfunded despite being used by millions of people, sometimes even billions. So in order to make any progress, the developers have to laser focus on what they're doing. For example KDE developers won't make progress on KDE if they drop what they're doing and start spending a bunch of time working on GNOME.
The problem with those tweets that you've liked is that they're misinformation. They may sound reasonable on the surface but what they're saying is factually wrong. Make sure to fact check any statements you read on Twitter, going with the most plausible-feeling explanation is a form of bias.
Now I don't think that excuses other bad behavior from GNOME developers. If they're saying rude and demeaning things while representing themselves as a GNOME developer then those should be reported to the code of conduct committee, even if they're on Twitter.
I don't understand. There is no rule anywhere that says an open source product has to focus on user choice, or that says a corporate solution has to disregard user choice. It's up to any group of developers to decide if they want to support a certain level of user choice or not, for whatever purpose.
You may want to read the email thread on this website for a further explanation of this idea in how it relates to Linux: http://islinuxaboutchoice.com/
IMO, they both are just horrible. My Mac fan starts buzzing soon after I open any of them, as a bonus to the shitty UX. But yes, Apple one is done much better.
Zahi Hawas has quite the reputation of being a phony. Many lay blame directly at him for refusing to allow the exploration and analysis of some ancient sites and artifacts that would run counter to the narrative he supports. An example is that a civilization that existed before the Egyptians is responsible for things like the Sphinx and Great Pyramids. He also refuses access to certain areas of these sites to prevent further exploration from what I understand. I know many folks can't stand him and say he is full of shit.
I don't know enough about the subject to have a strong opinion but would like to understand what is gained from not allowing more exploration of the tunnels and rooms under the Sphinx, etc.
This is an interesting list, and in scanning it quickly, I know we have various people interested in and working on various parts. We definitely recognize that developers are people, and all of these general-desktop-user hardships are hard for developers too.
Is there anything you would suggest, either additionally or as specific areas of interest on the list, for the developer desktop use case in specific? Or would you say that "make it work better for the general user" is the overwhelming priority?
I think it is worth reading that article in depth after scanning it quickly. It captures my own feelings about the state of the linux desktop very very well.
So that's what I just did. It has some very reasonable points but much of it is utter crack. I can't help but feel reminded of dmr's foreword to The UNIX-Haters Handbook:
Here is my metaphor: your book is a pudding stuffed with apposite observations, many well-conceived. Like excrement, it contains enough undigested nuggets of nutrition to sustain life for some. But it is not a tasty pie: it reeks too much of contempt and of envy.
