[Pidgin] #9170: php/aspell conflict

[Pidgin]

#9170: php/aspell conflict
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 Reporter:  jwm4          |     Owner:  lschiere
     Type:  defect        |    Status:  new     
Component:  unclassified  |   Version:  2.5.5   
 Keywords:                |  
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 Why does Pidgin (or more specifically, datallah) bullheadedly insist that
 the problem here is that PHP instructs its Windows users (of which there
 are '''many''', not a "few" as suggested by datallah - see # WAMP
 downloads) to include their php directory as a PATH Environment variable.
 Why insist there is only the "Pidgin" way to resolve this issue (remove
 PHP directory from PATH)?

 Let's face facts.  PHP is a development and application platform that runs
 thousands of applications and millions of websites.  Pidgin is a single
 application.  So, faced with the choice of which either configuring PHP in
 a nonstandard manner in order to allow Pidgin to work correctly with
 aspell, doing without Pidgin or installing Pidgin without Aspell (my
 choice), most will go with one of the latter two choices.  Perhaps as an
 open source software organization, the Pidgin leadership does not care
 that this attitude results in either fewer Pidgin users (# who make the no
 Pidgin choice or fewer fully satisfied Pidgin users (# who make the no
 Aspell choice).

 Frankly, I find the "our way or the highway" attitude that underlies this
 approach troublesome and unnecessary.  It's one of the less attractive
 tendencies of open source software (and surprisingly reminiscent of the
 1990's behavior of Microsoft, often cast as the villain by the open source
 community), and one that will not be found (for long) in a proprietary,
 profit-seeking software development firm.

 Just my two cents.

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Ticket URL: <http://developer.pidgin.im/ticket/9170>
Pidgin <http://pidgin.im>
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