In watching the various discussions between Uncle George and some of the
Blackdown folks, I can't help but be dissappointed. Here is someone who
has willingly given time and effort to do a job no one else has
undertaken (the Alpha port), and yet he is being ostracized by the very
hackers who do the same thing. I thought OpenSource was about freedom -
the freedom to work on what you want, how you want, and share it with
the rest of the world. If they don't like it, the don't have to use
it. Apparently, some people think it's about being part of some group
or organization, and conforming to their way of doing things. I
disagree.
While I realize that JDK doesn't exactly qualify as OpenSource, the
porting of it to Linux does seem to fit the model - a bunch of hackers
collaborating to produce a product freely available to the masses. To
that end, I commend the efforts of all the porting folks - Uncle George
included. Collaboration in this type of work is certainly helpful, but
you can't expect everyone to work the same way. Blackdown folks -
lighten up! Hacking is an honorable endeavor, and those who undertake
it should be treated with respect. Let's stop the name calling, and be
more tolerant of our individual differences.
Thanks,
Rich Edwards
-- __o
_ \<,_ "Think of bicycles as rideable art that
(_)/ (_) can just about save the world." - Grant Petersen
