[bcc: Vess] Hi Predrag,
Thanks for the perspective and especially the tip about the Mathematica install, which should be quite interesting to look at. The number of different and often semi-specialized versions of Linux has certainly multiplied in the years since years ago when we had to use Linux compatibility to get the Netscape browser working!! I think all those heavy aps should just standardize on getting a native version running on OpenBSD, which is so much more stable than all those other multitides of Linux's, and let the rat's nest of other open source projects worry about emulations. :-) Sigh.... Cheers, Austin On Tue, 19 May 2009, Predrag Punosevac wrote: > I have a feeling that you guys are thinking about the same problem > from two different prospectives. > > Nikolay is thinking from the developers' point of view > fully aware that Linux compatibility layer has no future in its present > state. He is also fully aware of how much work needs to be done in > order to get above features working properly in particular in the > light of the problems of Linux comp with bsd.mp kernel. > > On another hand you Austin think from the user point of view and I > can second your wish list of Linux comp. I would like to add that > except recent post of Matthew Szudzik which explains in details > installation of Mathematica on OpenBSD and Mark's request for the > donation of a Maple license which will enable him to try to work on it > I have not seen any activity on Linux compatibility layer. By the way > most recent versions of Maple heavily depend on Java (Linux version > of course) which makes things even more complicated. > > The reality of the life is that unless a new developers gets involved > with Linux compatibility layer it will die. If I personally had a > choice between Linux compatibility and maintaining stable ports tree > I would always chose the second option. The reality of the > life is that Oracle, Maple and similar proprietary software > require users to run specific "vendor supported" platform in order to > follow with warrants. When you pay $1800 per Maple license installing > it on CentOS seems like a good discission. > > Maybe the time has come for leaders of OpenBSD to make some hard > decisions and ditch Linux comp. > > Best, > Predrag > > P.S. I saw some recent activity on porting new versions of Wine to > OpenBS which actually looks more promising than Linux comp. > Unfortunately unless somebody with intimate knowledge of OpenBSD > kernel gets involved that is also dead end project. >
