| I reckon what's going to happen is that people will become obsessed
| with the bootstrap, and phase two, the switch to X-Faces will never
| happen, BUT lots of people will waste lots of time optimizing database
| access ... have you followed the latest rash of postings to
| faces@sun.aus.com? I might be wrong, I hope so, but why go to X-Face
| if you have this database solution that sort of works and is only
| getting incrementally out of control. Why not just keep adding
| duct tape?
| I was hoping the bootstrap would happen by individual sites adopting
| X-Face and then non-participating sites seeing the X-Faces in the
| headers and clambering aboard.
That didn't really happen though. Faces has been around for some time
now and, let's be honest, has not caught on in a big way, yet.
I installed faces here as soon as it first came out, but neither I nor
anyone else here used it at all until a few months ago when I had built
up the logos database to a useful level. Before too long we'll be using
X-faces. I would assume a similar process will happen at other sites.
Maybe a major motivation for a ~/.face file (and thus X-face usage) will
be a popular version of finger that can use it. I don't know if GNU
finger will fit the bill -- we tried it here and found too many problems
to bother with it any more.
Another motivation may be that people may not like their face that's
sitting in everyone's databases and want to specify it themselves.
That's certainly one of mine -- I don't like my Usenix face. I don't
even look like that anymore.
I think we're at a stage where we should do anything we can to get
faces in wider usage -- the databases are helping. On the other
hand, you're right, we shouldn't forget to encourage the preferred
X-face usage.
Steve