> > So what exactly *is* present in Debian that would be at all > > helpful? > > In Debian as in GNU/Linux? Probably not much. It's not worth > the bother. > > But there are people associated with Debian, and if these people > want to help out with openpackages, then all the better. >
Oh -- I've been misunderstanding the point. We're not talking about Debian the software archive, we're talking about Debian the social project. Yes, I'm certain there are people involved in Debian who have some interest in this area, or else we wouldn't have this mailing list. :-) [ ... snip ... ] > The direction BSD is heading in is fine. Nobody wants Debian to > come and change the direction; but Debian folks are more than welcome > to help continue the direction that the development is headed in now; > and I think that we'd all be quite happy with the results. > So is your idea that there would be a Debian BSD distribution that would simply be an "Open, Community" effort to produce a BSD distribution? If so, what's wrong with the existing FreeBSD or NetBSD (or OpenBSD) efforts? Are they too cathedral-ish? (I'm asking because I don't know much about BSD development "culture"). I guess the unspoken issue that's caused confusion for me in this thread is that Debian is as much about philosophy as it is about software, or operating systems. One sticking point is likely to be licensing issues. The GNU/Hurd and GNU/Linux are based (obviously) on a Stallmanesque GPL-centric ideal, where we know what we produce cannot be extended and resold under a restrictive license. This is one area that we differ from BSD, in that BSD allows the licensing of the software to be changed. I worry that a Debian/BSD might not meet with much enthusiasm as a Debian Project. However a BSD kernel with the GNU user-space would probably be more palatable. And of course, more and more BSD tools are finding their way into Debian. Woody already contains several OpenBSD varients (their FTP software, secure shell, etc.) So don't loose hope yet ;-) Thanks, -Brent
