> In the Commit Patches web page is the following patch:
>
> [tdelibs] Add initial tdehardwaredevices skeleton to tdecore
> Do not use the added classes yet, as the API and ABI are still under heavy
> construction!
>
> The work on tdehardwaredevices is important to remove the dependency on
> HAL. Yet skeleton or not, could we please NOT push any API/ABI changes
> until after R14? Pushing eventual API/ABI changes will create hardships,
> especially something as monumental as removing HAL dependencies.
>
> As important as that might seem, the bug tracker receives very little
> attention. Are we developing a reputation of ignoring bug reports?
>
> David and I seem to be the only ones actively trying to squash build
> issues. Obvious from the messages we post is there are many build related
> issues that need attention. David and I post a lot of build related
> questions to this list and frequently nobody answers. Many build related
> bug reports have been filed and remain untouched.
>
> Not to mention a few hundred unanswered bug reports regarding usability.
>
> According to a previous discussion, the math indicates that we won't
> resolve many bugs before R14 is released. That implies we are going to
> push R14 on schedule --- buggy.
>
> Now that we have news about a significant customer using Trinity (LiMux
> project in Munich), should we be making every effort to quash a
> significant portion of the bugs and release an R14 that all users relish
> and even want to join us to help develop further? We sure could use that
> kind of extra help and publicity.
>
> Darrell

The funny thing is that the HAL dependency bug is among the oldest open
bug reports on the tracker, dating back almost to the fork of KDE3.5.  It
is also one of the first things other desktops environments throw at us to
claim that TDE is obsolete.  This is high priority for me to fix, it has
been over 3 years and in all that time no one has had the requisite
expertise to repair it.

I would love to fix the bugs myself, however there is the issue of money
and time on my end.  Simply put I can't dedicate weeks of unpaid time to
TDE each month; bills have to be paid and other tasks need to be finished.
 Then there is the issue of varying platforms and distributions; I use
Debian and Ubuntu and see no build problems whatsoever.  Linux can be
somewhat infuriating for software developers for this reason; what works
perfectly on one distribution fails on another.  I don't have the time or
resources to install and learn every distribution that TDE runs on, so I
rely on others to handle the repair of bugs that only show up on their
distribution or setup.

HAL is slowly breaking down as the kernel changes, and there will
eventually come a time when it just doesn't work any more, making the
initial development of an alternative imperative.

The R14.0 release can be pushed back if needed, especially since Slavek
Banko has been fixing critical bugs in the Debian/Ubuntu packages for
3.5.13.

I know it is frustrating, but please remember that we are all volunteers
working on this project because in many cases the alternatives are even
worse than a buggy release of TDE.  Just to be clear, I am not receiving
payment for my work on TDE either; the money collected via the Donations
page barely covers annual operating expenses, and many times falls short. 
If those involved in LiMux or any other major TDE deployment would provide
coders willing to help squash bugs, or even sponsor the project, then we
could make faster progress.  I have yet to see this happen.

For now I continue to fix bugs that are most irritating to me, as I have
time, in the finest FOSS tradition. :-)  As others here do the same the
bug list will slowly be whittled down, even if it takes longer than we
would like.

Onward and Forward!

Tim