[libreplanet-discuss] Updating the High Priority List

[Fabio Pesari]

https://www.fsf.org/campaigns/priority-projects/

This list is severely outdated. What about we propose new high-priority
projects? What proprietary programs (or network services without free
servers) do you or the people around you use _daily_ that haven't been
replaced by free software? Which free programs need more attention in
order to replace their proprietary counterparts?

Here is what I think about the current list:

> Gnash

Flash is dead, and Shumway is better than Gnash already (and actively
maintained by Mozilla), so it should not be listed.

> Coreboot

Libreboot is what we should support.

Also, it would be better to start working on libre hardware designs for
new computers than rely on old, out-of-production computers.

> Free software replacement for Skype

This is indeed high-priority, but I think the programs have already been
developed (Tox, Ring, Jitsi, Jitsi Meet), it's just a matter of getting
more people to contribute to them and to adopt them.

> Free software video editing software

I think the ones that exist are sufficiently advanced, and there are
more active projects here than most categories of software, so I don't
think this should really have high priority.

> Free Google Earth Replacement

Not many people use Google Earth And besides, OpenStreetMap is already
very popular, even outside the libre world: it wouldn't be too hard to
build a 3D program on top of it, as long as the data exist, so this
issue is more about data than software.

Marble is a KDE project and actively maintained, people should work on that.

> Help GNU/Linux distributions be committed to freedom

Agreed, but I think efforts should be directed toward GuixSD, which is
an official GNU Project and provides many features other distros don't.

> GNU Octave, free software Matlab replacement

Agreed it is important, I'm not sure it should be high priority. The
priority should be on convincing schools to adopt it.

> Replacement for OpenDWG libraries

Same as GNU Octave.

> Reversible Debugging in GDB

Already implemented in 7.0.

> Free software drivers for network routers

Not sure it should be high-priority, perhaps it'd be better if the free
software community built its own router with a libre hardware design.

> Free software replacement for Oracle Forms

Does anybody still use Oracle Forms outside enterprise? And besides,
replacements already exist, even if I have no idea how good they are.

> Automatic transcription

Agreed.

> Free Software replacement for Bittorrent Sync

Syncthing already exists, so it's not high priority anymore.