The changes are monitored via bitkeeper. subscribe to the kernel list (kernel.org) if you are interested in kernel development
On 5/31/05, Mark Tinka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Tuesday 31 May 2005 15:54, joachim Gwoke wrote: > > mr. ernest you are right when you say linus gets to > > approve what goes into the linux kernel as a patch or > > other. word has it that he and a core of kernel > > developers have access to something called the cvs; > > some open source development management utility they > > use for their kernel work . > > Speaking of which: > > ************** > > Developers of the open source Linux > operating system are about to lose a crucial software > tool that lets them keep track of version changes. The > loss could delay Linux development and even make the > operating system more vulnerable to security breaches. > > > Since 2002, Linux creator, Linus Torvalds, and > thousands of Linux programmers have enjoyed free use > of a development tool called BitKeeper. But as of > July, BitKeeper's creator, Larry McVoy, will stop > providing free software and support to the Linux > effort. > > McVoy says he offered to let Linux programmers keep > using BitKeeper without paying license fees. All he > wanted was to recover the $500,000 a year it was > costing him to provide support. > > Instead, Torvalds and his army are dropping BitKeeper, > even though the move will disrupt Linux development as > thousands of programmers switch over to a new > home-grown tool that isn't even finished yet. > > "Losing BK [BitKeeper] clearly has slowed down things > a bit already, and we don't know how much it will > affect us in the longer term," Torvalds says via > e-mail. > > He confirmed that version 2.6.12 of the Linux kernel > was delayed a month because of the BitKeeper setback, > but it will be available in a few weeks. > > To replace BitKeeper, Torvalds is developing his own > rudimentary development tool, called git. However, > McVoy says it took him five years to create an > industrial strength version of BitKeeper, and he > thinks Torvalds will find it difficult to create a > full-fledged replacement. > > And whatever time Torvalds spends working on git is > time he can't spend working on Linux. > > BitKeeper is a "source code management" tool, which > lets teams of coders share revisions, automatically > updating files that contain thousands or even millions > of lines of software code. > > McVoy says BitKeeper lets Linux programmers crank out > new versions twice as fast as they could before. > BitKeeper also has protected the integrity of Linux. > In 2003, BitKeeper detected a "back door" that a > hacker had tried to plant into the operating system. > Without BitKeeper, Linux now may be more vulnerable to > such breaches, McVoy says. > > The loss of BitKeeper could even cause some developers > to abandon Linux because their work will be harder to > do, McVoy says. > > "It is certainly possible that this change will make > some people decide that it is too painful, and they > will go do something else. There is definitely going > to be fall-out," says McVoy, whose company, BitMover, > is based in South San Francisco. "It will be a few > more months before things get back to normal. For the > engineers who report to Linus, their lives just got > worse." Greg Kroah-Hartman, a top lieutenant to > Torvalds, says losing BitKeeper caused a "hiccup" in > development for a few weeks but doesn't expect any > long-term fall out. "The disruption is already over. > We have all converted over to git and are working away > as always," he says. > > Adding to the bad news, the Open Source Development > Labs, which employs Torvalds and other key Linux > coders, said this week that it had laid off an > unspecified number of Linux developers. > > The irony of the BitKeeper fiasco is that McVoy > originally created BitKeeper specifically for > Torvalds, whom he considers a friend. > > McVoy, 43, is an operating system expert who has > worked at Sun Microsystems (nasdaq: SUNW - news - > people ), Silicon Graphics (nyse: SGI - news - people > ) and Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ). Since > 1993, he has been a member of Torvalds' inner circle. > > Though BitKeeper is not an "open source" program--that > is, users are not able to view and modify its source > code--McVoy let Linux developers (and other open > source programmers) use BitKeeper for free, even while > charging commercial customers like Hewlett-Packard > (nyse: HPQ - news - people ) and IBM (nyse: IBM - news > - people ) annual license fees of up to $2,000 per > user. > > McVoy says the cost of offering free support to Linux > developers has grown to more than $500,000 a year, and > he can't afford to keep paying the tab himself. "It > was just becoming prohibitively expensive," he says. > > McVoy also became concerned after learning that one of > OSDL's developers, Andrew Tridgell, was trying to > create an open source knockoff of BitKeeper. McVoy > says such a knockoff could corrupt BitKeeper > repositories where code is stored. That threat > prompted him to change his policy to "paying customers > only." > > Tridgell did not respond to an e-mail inquiry. > > Torvalds says he doesn't approve of what Tridgell was > trying to do. But he says he also wasn't willing to > pay to use BitKeeper, adding that some open source > developers weren't happy using a non-open source > product such as BitKeeper anyway. > > Indeed, McVoy says some Linux coders have been > hassling him for years, because he would not publish > the source code for BitKeeper. > > "Here we were, working 90 hours a week to build > something to help Linux, working long hours, giving up > a lot of money and time, and all the time we were > doing that, at every step of the way, we had people > abusing us, sending us nasty e-mail, telling us we're > jerks. It's been constant. It gets tiresome. After > five years of that you just say: It doesn't make > business sense and it isn't that fun." > > The flames have grown even hotter since McVoy decided > to stop letting open source programmers use BitKeeper > for free. > > "My response is, 'Let me know when your rent and > college tuition are free, when gas and groceries are > free, and when your girlfriend decides that you having > no money is a great idea. When all that is true I'll > get on the bandwagon, too.' Some people don't > understand that it costs salaries to develop stuff and > support stuff." > > McVoy says he hates to do something that will hinder > the progress of Linux. But McVoy also questions the > viability of open source as a business model for pure > software companies. > > ************** > > Mark. > > > _______________________________________________ > LUG mailing list > [email protected] > http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug > %LUG is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ > > > > -- JFL _______________________________________________ LUG mailing list [email protected] http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/lug %LUG is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
