[PD] elitism, software and academia (was GEM FTGL Sadness)

[patrice colet]

Hello Georg,

Le vendredi 08 juin 2007 à 20:28 +0200, Georg Holzmann a écrit :
> Hallo!
> 
> >  Net-pd is for me the ONLY project where we could have a chance one day
> > for having ALL externals, abstractions, extensions and even the hardware
> > dependant externals in action, without having passing hours about
> > configuring pd, understanding how the object works, etc ...
> [...]
> > and found out that the net-pd project is the best candidate for having a
> > functionnal bundle of all pd candies.
> 
> that's what pd extended tries to achieve ...

Nice try but not functionnal...
pd-extended provides a maximum of functionning externals, gives a lot of
examples, but it doesn't provide a fully fonctionning set of objects
like net-pd does

> >  So, if all the stuff inside this neat project is also documented by
> > comments, it would not only become more efficient than any manual,
> > stage, physical meetings ..., for both learning how to use pd and having
> > fun with it, but it would also decrease the amount of time for
> > developping some add-ons, or optimizing the functionning.
> 
> that's what pd extended tries to achieve ...

Well, I was talking about net-pd's documentation, maybe I wasn't clear
enough;
 pd-extended seems to be THE framework of pure data where every dev can
test their abstrations externals together etc..., so indeed for
optimizing the developping time of pd objects, it's an appropriate
achievement.
But for playing with all those objects, and learn about almost all
available processes, pd-extended can become very fast a source of deep
annoyement, because it's not fully functionnal, and I doubt it will ever
become fully functionnal, just because pd-extended is made of almost
only 'unstable' releases of pd stuff.

> 
> >  I don't particulary have fun with opening, testing, closing the
> > hundreds patches grabbed from cvs, pd-extended, pd-list, etc...
> > if all those patches were documented under a single project that is
> > already functionnal, a new user would come to the pd world without the
> > fear of not having the possibility of understanding how the hell this
> > stuff works.
> 
> again, pd extended ...
Well, pd-extended is certainly the best package to get, indeed ,for
having an updated documentation of the objects, and abstractions, a good
database where we can pick the help file or the example for having a
clue about "what the hell is one object, what's happening inside, and it
have to be taken as a reference, I've no problem with that.
 But, :D
it's far more entertaining to just see one patch, one gop, one extra in
action through a FULLY FUNCTIONNAL PROJECT and 'right click-->help',
than having to browse dozens of patches for finding something that might
be interesting.
> However, of course not all patches are working out of the box with pd 
> extended (I think not many will work), but if everyone builds his own 
> distribution system (like netpd in your description) then it will never 
> work ...

net-pd works very good, and can be installed in a minute.
it's not really one distribution like everyone would make, in my eyes,
but one distribution that everyone would use, a kind of stable funny
release of the pd stuff.

Many patches won't work out of the box almost always because it will
miss an external, or an abstraction, here we come again on the fact that
the patches misses some comments,

*ultra high sarcastic mode, sensible mind don't read*

if there is not room enough to put the name of the dependances, like in
almost all example patches, or original abstractions, why not replacing
the name of the autor with something more usefull...

*end of ultra sarcastic mode*

 Let's compare pd system with linux operating system (sorry if it's too
much disgressive), there are so many distributions, each distribution
has it's particularity, some are rather better than others for different
stuffes, different computers, and linux works pretty well.

> LG
> Georg

Thanks for letting me advocating my point of view,
Patko.