[PD] ubumenu

[Marc Lavallée]

On Sun, Nov 02, 2003 at 11:39:38AM +0100, Thomas Grill wrote:
> i'm sorry but i don't agree with that at all.

Not at all? You do agree to a certain degree... Let me explain more.

> As a musician i have to have a proper instrument, be it a piano, 
> a guitar or a computer with the appropriate software.
> It may cost money (instruments usually do) or it may not, 

A computer is an instrument, and a software is like a music sheet.
I buy computers because I can't make them, but I can program them.

> I both like lo-fi _and_ hi-fi-music when it's properly done.

The hi-fi concept relates to the quality of reproduction, not production.

> Never ever would come to my mind that buying an expensive instrument 
> is elitist if it is necessary for doing a special kind of music.

Some people can't buy what you consider necessary to create a certain
kind of music, so they create other kind of music because they have
access to free tools that allows them to create their own music.

> and i really don't understand how someone could call a 
> professional-grade 500$ software elitist, with their makers providing 
> great support. 

Some people can't spend $500 for a software, and this amount of money is
now enough to buy a good enough computer that runs PD for professional
work. I also like the fact that it's possible to get three computers
running PD for the price of a single Max equipped workstation.

> On the other hand, my sympathies are also with PD because of the 
> well-known facts like open-sourceness etc.

Don't stop, all that "etc" business is very interesting.

> In fact, what i don't want is PD to be the poor man's Max, because 
> it simply isn't 

Rich people can make music with garbage cans, but my point is that 
usually poor people can't play a Stradivarius.

> both systems are living side by side with their respective advantages.

I can't afford running Max and PD. Lucky you.

> I'm quite sure that most of the people don't have a political but 
> rather pragmatic approach to PD and would immediately start using a 
> fast and feature-rich gui for PD once it's there. 

Pragmatism and politic also can live side by side; I switched to free 
software for both reasons. I don't care much about a feature-rich gui 
for PD, but I'm also convinced it will exist one day. What I find really 
disturbing is the equation: "fancy gui = non elitist". It's like equating 
computer literacy to elitism. Scary...

> And that will contain a ubumenu-like dropdown object.

Go Ubu!

Thanks for your constructive reply.
--
Marc