Re: [Qemu-devel] Qemu development schedule?

[Jeebs]

> There are already projects around adding front ends. QEMU works just
> fine from the command line. This is a proper separation of work from a
> software designer's point of view.

The only gui front end I've seen is Qemu Workstation, and the last I 
checked, it was way out of date and didn't work with the current builds.

The command line is okay, but it's a little inconvenient at times.  And 
switching back & forth between the target screen and the command screen 
doesn't always work with the Windows version.  I often end up with just a 
black screen.  (Maybe that has been fixed.  I've been busy the past two 
weeks and haven't tried any of the daily builds on FreeOSZoo.)

> For most, usability of an emulator can be summed up in one word: speed.
> Any effort to address speed improvements (and at the same time,
> stability which is ongoing) is core development.

I think usability and accuracy tend to be a bit more important.

It doesn't matter how fast it is, if it can't emulate a real computer enough 
to do what you need / want to do.

(Of course, that doesn't mean you should make it as slow as Bochs...[grin])

> Are you sure it makes sense have the core developers concentrating on
> Windows installers or front ends?

I'm not really sure who the "core" developers are.  All I ever see is 
Fabrice.

Everybody else just seems to be doing the occasional patch to fix some 
little aspect etc.

I've been lurking here for 3+ months and I'm not sure what organization, if 
any, there is in this project.


> For those that can't wait for "polish," commercial products are out
> there for the Windows platform, and Linux too.

I'm currently using VMWare.

But as I said in my message, I was just getting the feeling that things were 
being implemented on "whims" by lots of people, with no real plan of what 
was needed, what was important, etc. etc.

That's the way it often is with open source porjects.  Everybody does their 
own thing when ever they feel like, and since most people don't like to do 
the "grunt" work, many important but less exciting issues often get pushed 
off to the side or only done "good enough for now".

> Having watched this project for a while I see QEMU as a very healthy
> project. It is growing rapidly and improving in core functionality. In
> some areas it has already outstripped commercial offerings.

I fully agree with out.

It's developing very very rapidly.  That's one of the reasons I've been 
following the development for the past few months.


> But I suppose the only real indicator of real success of FOSS projects
> is when the complaints start rolling in ;-)

I wasn't trying to complain.

My message was a genuine question.

And it was sort of a 'notice' to people that maybe it might be a good idea 
to start working on things that are at least as important, but aren't 
"sexy".