[Pipet Users] Khoros and Cantata

[Karl-Max Wagner]

> I agree completely.  The existence of UNIX (even BSD UNIX) did not deter Linus

....and the existence of Linux didn't deter the xBSD people from
advancing their projects, so that by now we have not only one,
but four production quality OS's to choose from. 

> from developing Linux, and it is a Good Thing that it did not.  Plus, I think
> we have many good ideas that do not exist anywhere else.  Jeff

I think the best thing with piper is the least obvious and most
abstract: AFAIK piper is the first time pretty diverse projects
found out that they had a lot of overlap and joined in solving
the overlapping problems together. This is truly astounding,
because, not using hindsight, it required thinking on a level of
high abstraction from all those participating to find that out.

This led to a state of hight modularization in the project which
is already paying off: more projects now are joining in ( lately
we got Narval on board, for an example ).

Here some crazy idea from the area of mathematics: coupling some
symbolic mathematics package with the piper UI engine it should
be possible to draw up mathematical relationships as block
diagrams and then automatically manipulate them to one's heart
content using the underlying symbolic mathematics package. For
lack of a better term, let's call that formula compilation. The
graphical entry is a high level representation of the
mathematical relationship, the actual formula something like
assembly code which is automatically generated, processed and
optimized to provide what is desired. Woudn't that relieve us
from the drudgery of low level formula handling and lift
mathematics to a new level of abstraction ? Just food for
thought......

Anyway, due to our stuff being free, we are also free to do
things in ways and apply our stuff in ways we see fit. This is a
luxury closed solutions lack.

On the long run this is evolution at work: among many contenders
those with the most mileage and the best abilities to join up
with others for the common advantage just make the race and
leave the others in the dust on the long run. Simply biology at
work....

BTW, could someone enlighten me on how all those projects found
each other to constitute piper ? Just curious.....
   
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        "It was hell. They knew it.          Karl-Max Wagner
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