On Sun, 3 Nov 2002, Dub Dublin wrote: > Seriously, though, this is a pretty dysfunctional open source > development community. If Mitel wants to develop SME in secret and then > release it when it's done, that's their perogative, and I'd be the last > to stand in their way. The problem is that there is also this thing > (devinfo) that exists with the pretense of being an open development > forum, when it is not.
There is a basic misunderstanding here. The SME server platform is not and never has been developed by the devinfo community. The SME server platform is developed by and published by Mitel Networks, as part of its business plan to sell additional products and services. The software has also been released as GPL software, which has allowed you to use, modify and distribute it. Since the platform is deliberately open and flexible, you can also develop complementary software, as many have. Although we plan and execute our plan to develop this software platform according to our needs, we are delighted to receive any contributions of bug fixes and feature additions. In practice, the number of such contributions happens to be small. Because the software is published with a GPL license, you are free to extend it in any way that you see fit. If it is broken(*), or you perceive it to be broken, you can fix it. Or you can ask someone else to fix it for you. Or you can pay someone else to fix it for you. [(*) Please tell us if you think something is broken, but understand that we will not promise to fix it for you.] > The difficulty of developing meaningful and useful, "easiliy integrated" > add-ons to fit a secret, moving target of a product have already been > mentioned. This difficulty has been stated, but not demonstrated. Version 5.5 of the software (for example) is neither secret nor moving, so there is no such impediment to developing meaningful and useful add-ons for it. As Gordon has said, the number of incompatible changes from version to version is small - we deliberately make it so. If you wish to make an add-on, but don't wish to deal with differences from version to version, don't. Construct your add-on for a particular version, publish it under the GPL license, and invite others to port to different versions if they wish. In other words, differences from version to version is only *your* problem if *you* make it so. Don't use it as an excuse to do nothing. > One of the real sticking areas is that the community really are just > glorified guinea pigs - there is almost no way that the community *can* > seriously contribute, as your own comment about the predominance of > Mitel-developed code attests. Mitel places no constraints on what the devinfo community can do, other than that Mitel alone decides what software Mitel releases and when they do so. Other community members can release whatever software they wish at any time - moreover Mitel will help them do so by providing ftp resources (within reason), and by providing this mailing list to allow them to contact other members. Individual Mitel staff may provide technical advice if and when they choose to. Just as Mitel decides what software they will release and when they will release it; every other member of this community does the same. > Today, leveraging SME as a platform appears to be something Mitel wishes > to reserve for itself. You and I both know that quite a number of businesses are leveraging SME as a platform. We do not and cannot stop them from doing so, nor would we want to, just so long as they comply with the license conditions. Above all else, remember that this is a business for Mitel. Times are hard. Mitel makes decisions based on what is seen as being in Mitel's best economic interest. Mitel doesn't make your decisions for you, but Mitel does make its own decisions. That will not change. Now, please, everybody, stop complaining about what Mitel is doing and is not doing. Frankly, it's none of your business. If you wish to lurk here, lurk. If you wish to develop, develop. If you wish to contribute, contribute. If you are already contributing, please continue to do so. If you would like help designing or debugging your code, ask for it here. If you want collaborators on a project, invite them here. If you have free software to announce, please announce it here. Thanks -- Charlie Brady [EMAIL PROTECTED] Lead Product Developer Network Server Solutions Group http://www.e-smith.com/ Mitel Networks Corporation http://www.mitel.com/ Phone: +1 (613) 592 5660 or 592 2122 Fax: +1 (613) 592 1175 -- Please report bugs to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] (only) to discuss security issues Support for registered customers and partners to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Searchable archive at http://www.mail-archive.com/devinfo%40lists.e-smith.org
