While I appreciate a good pitch, I actually think that what awakened the list so mightily is that someone brazenly posted to a Linux user list with a business pitch with no business plan attached.
I think that most people who've had at least a brush with professional software engineering read such a statement as if it were steel wool scraping their eyeballs. If they've encountered such a business situation, they know, it's not so much that it's a scam, it's that they would suffer a lot less if it was just a scam. Justin On 1/11/06, James <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Petr Kocmid <Petr.Kocmid <at> project-bhairava.org> writes: > > > > On Tuesday 10 January 2006 04:40, Mark Stewart wrote: > > > Hello fellow Linux Users! > > > We here at SaviourLinux.com desire to create a united universal way. > > > Please visit the website for more information, but here is the purpose: > > > You missed the target audience. Here at gentoo there are mostly hardcore > > linux > > geeks, and we already have "universal way". You do not make a fortune here > > with a scam like this. > > (Splash--WAKE UP CALL) > > This thread has generated much noise, because it invokes the very antithesis > of many things we hold dear: Irrelevance of Microsoft one day, ubiquitous > secure and distributed computing, fantastic multimedia influenced and > controlled by the little people of world etc etc.... > > It has generated so much concern (deeply disturbing responses) because we all > need to earn a living and it'd be nice if we could do it, being perveyours > of linux (Gentoo specifically) yet we lack initiative. > > I have often talk about preparing Gentoo for the masses, with little > collective > interest. I have even offered to spent my limited financial resources to get > talented people to develop specific software and make it open source so that > it can be used freely, available in source code and also open to > entrepreneurial endeavors, much like the BSDish licenses. I personally think > all of the hype over licenses are a waste of bandwidth. Who gives a shit, > statistically. If something is great everybody is going to use it, and > it's associated technical perveyours should make money signing autographs. > > 'Savior' is something Linux needs. The simple solution is for perveyours of > (Gentoo) linux to stop being 'bone-heads' and start being Entrepreneurs. > You make money, become affluent, you can write all the code and give it > to whatever cause you want. What the youth of this list do not realize is > their "Free time" combined with strong "programming skills" is capital. > use it wisely, and more capital will flow your way. > > Specifically, I work as an engineer, with machines, industrial processes, > communications, and too dam many lawyers and politicians. Machines on this > earth are mostly controlled by SCADA systems: Supervisor Controls And Data > Aquistion (sounds sexy huh?) Currenlty MicroSuck dominates the space, but, > it's lack of robust security, has created a huge vacuum, highlighted by > activities of 9/11. Futhermore in the near future, there will be at least > 100 machines (micro P with connnectivity) per humanoid and the gap will > only increase. AKA, the net of the future belongs to machines. Just look > at the number of peripherals (machines) we have today and the pending > explosion of every electro-mechanical device in your home, auto, work > and leisure activities, having 'connectivity' in the not too distant > future. Yet Linux lacks a robust open source SCADA plan. Many attemps > have been made, but, most have been diverted to the traditional business > model (come work for me and I'll give you a paycheck). Now is the time > to develop software so that all electrical devices can be seemlessly > managed and controlled. Whe have power over ethernet (802.af) and > ethernet over powerlines, not to mention Rf chipsets that are shockingly > low in price. The current vendor track is build a new device, > write new software, and add it to the thousands of applications that > exist. The future paradyne could be: Develop a robust Linux SCADA software > package, make money migrating industry and consumers to it, and write > device drivers for any product someone builds. That way the cost of > software development is born of the open source community, and local > entrepreneurs can spin hardware with local manufacturers to build > successful 'regional products'. Gentoos get new toys, many of which > are built by people they know.... > > I have offered money to any young, talented person wanting to make > a name for themselves by championing the cause to develop an open source > SCADA system for (Gentoo) linux. No takers. none. Why? This could become > an excellent opportunity to teach software development, and migrate > the industrial world to Gentoo. > > Leads me to beleive that everyone has too much cash or are scared to 'step > up'. > My programming skills have atrofied (like my spelling skills) over time. > Furthermore, I'd be most interested in installing this SCADA system somewhere > and generating attention as to what promise Gentoo holds for the future. > The more of an Entrepreneur I become the less time I have to stay current or > maintain my existing skill sets. Youth provides opportunity for greatness. I'm > willing to finance greatness. There is no greater need than to develop a > (Gentoo) based SCADA system. EVERYONE, except the commmercial SCADA vendors is > very, very tired of MicroSuck in the Industrial space.... > > Then along comes this "Savior Thread" where folks are almost interested > in giving away their personal capital in the pursuit of foolishness. > > My answer to Savior Linux is "put the check into the mail, and I'll be > right there". But, I'm willing to send a check to someone that this list > agrees with, has the BALLS and BRAINS to build a SCADA software package > for Gentoo. I just want a licence that encourages entrepreneurial > implementation of the software, more akin to BSDishness..... That way > folks can build hardware, sell it in small volume, make a living, > and the greater gentoo community becomes greater, because we have > the newest/coolest hardware toys, and the software is part of a single, > very cool package that is easy to maintain. Under this scheme, developing > device drivers would become routine for Gentoo Folks. Hardware guys > could focus on hardware and gets their drivers for free! > > If you are unfamilar with SCADA: > http://www.comedi.org/doc > http://www.modcomp.com/scada/scada_app.html > http://www.rtaautomation.com/modbustcp > http://www.jffnms.org > > The rub is ( i use to love the rub: in engineering school that's where > some old, nasty bastard challenged the students to actually do something > with what we were learning) > video controls and display of video needs to be added to the SCADA software. > I think an open API for rapid addition of machines and hardware beyond > that of PLC (programmable logic controllers) is important too. > Think of it as SCADA on steroids. > > I'm not rich [(3) kids; beautiful, nagging wife and a boat in disrepair]; > yet this is something that I'm will to spend my money on, for the > benfit of the wider Gentoo community. > > Any takers? > > > sincerely, > James Horton, PE > > > > > > > -- > gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list > > -- Justin W. Hart -- gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list
