new dev branch stuff

[Benedikt Meurer]

> [strip]

Playing the devils advocate: Do you think we are still in-line with the 
goals of Xfce? Do we have any clear goals for Xfce (esp. for 4.4)? For 
me, the primary goals have always been to be lightweight, easy to use 
and advanced (which implies well-designed code, stability and 
maintainability); as a side note, this is the reason why I was never 
really happy with xfprint4, until JF took over maintainership.

To me, it seems, we are loosing the focus somehow. I can't tell you any 
exact reason; it just feels like Xfce is going in the wrong direction 
somehow. Applications should be designed for the specific user (not the 
general user, but the specific user of this application). But a desktop 
environment is more difficult, as there's not really a "specific user", 
since the desktop environment is more of a container for applications.

Picking up what Auke suggested some time ago, the core of the desktop 
environment should be very small and lightweight, leaving only the core 
desktop applications in there, and having the "non-core applications" 
outside the core.

I think, KDE and Gnome both went this way (and had to decide on exactly 
the same issue) earlier, and somehow decided to go the complex way with 
all-in-one.

My personal vision for Xfce was always to make it

  (a) "just work"
  (b) "easy to use"
  (c) "lightweight"
  (d) "advanced" (this is least important, IMHO)

Atleast the first 3 points imply that the core is small and easy to 
maintain, which isn't the case currently (I think I say that, as I was 
the one that tried to release the beast!).

With all the recent changes and ideas popping up, I thought it was time 
to ask if we still have a goal, or if we simply follow the tradition of 
KDE and Gnome (which would basicly mean for me, to re-think if its 
really worth to spend my spare time on Xfce).

Benedikt