> We are losing the 'reference implementation' from which the branches can be > compared.
But is this a necessary consequemce of Bell Labs' distance, or merely the way the community operates? A reference point need not itself be in use by all involved, it just needs to move slowly enough for a few responsible parties to ensure that it remains a reference point. Give 9atom x 2 and 9front (in whichever guise), together with the ARM implementations (which I believe are much closer to the Bell Labs release), it is not that onerous to make sure that there is a base point for everyone out there. I can see the weak points of such an approach, but is it any worse than the current situation? ++L
