> On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 12:52 PM, <lu...@proxima.alt.za> wrote: >> Uriel is renowned for demanding tools to be released on principle, >> without him having any practical need for them. > > I don't see why uriel having a practical need for them or not is > relevant.
Well, let me try to explain it. Uriel is _not_ an elected representative of the community he makes no bone about despising. Everyone on 9fans (and I presume on the IRC channel) is perfectly capable of standing up for themselves and I, no doubt amongst others, take exception to Uriel (mis)representing my views. Also, Uriel is not even a Plan 9 user. How could he possibly evaluate anyone's need for a theoretical piece of software? Or, for that matter, evaluate the risk of releasing it prematurely? As for the alternative question: "does /anyone/ in the community have a practical need for the tool?", the answer is self-evident: Ron needed the software and Ron got it, whatever it took him to achieve this. Can you spot the difference? As for those who did not know about it, why would they have a need for it? And why should they be expecting it to be available? Contrary to Uriel's statements, those who have had something to contribute have been able to do so, it is only in the realm of "helping" Bell Labs that cards have been kept close to Bell Labs' chest and it is known that Bell Labs does not subscribe to the "software development bazaar" philosophy, so that should come as no surprise. Me, I am grateful that the current release of the Plan 9 kernel is not encumbered with partial changes to allow unknown parties to experiment with a 64-bit kernel. Perhaps if you think about it you will see my side of it. Uriel does not "raise his voice", he whines. And he makes it sound like he's whining on everyone's behalf when it isn't even on his own behalf. That makes him a politician in my book and that's quite enough said. ++L
