> > Speaking of future, the same thing can happen when the next servlet spec
> > is released - and again you could use tomcat3.3 to have a smooth future.
> > I know how painfull it is to upgrade a production server - how many small
> > things will stop working and many things will be different.
>
> And I'm 100% sure you will be able to use 4.0 as a base for future Servlet
> API's as well. What is your point here?
Upgrading from 2.0 to 2.2 isn't so easy. As of "using 4.0 as a base" -
it's a difference between that and just plugging in a module ( and having
even multiple versions of the API in use at the same time - as you upgrade
and test your applications with the new APIs). That's part of the design.
( plus the preference that some people seem to have with throwing away
and rewriting in a "better" way - the history tends to repeat itself )
> You can't promise that for Tomcat 3.3. If you go away, there is absolutely
> no promise that someone else will pick up and implement whatever the latest
> spec is on top of Tomcat 3.x.
Do you believe in open source ?
It seems to me thare are quite a few people not paid to work on 3.3 ( I
would say the reverse is true - actually paying a price for working on
it), yet it seems to move on.
I heard the same argument about Linux BTW, but that doesn't make me start
using Windows 2000. ( and I'm using Emacs, even if the original author
stoped working on it many years ago )
> However, you CAN promise that someone will do it on Tomcat 4.x because that
> is the direction that Sun is going and Sun will pay someone to do it as long
> as J2EE is around (which I don't see it going away any time soon, if
> anything, it is getting larger and more important with the .NET crap).
I think Sun does the right thing letting the open source work, and I hope
it'll continue to do so.
If you remember, the comunity is more important than the product - and
that used to be the power behind open source, not the pay you get.
I do believe tomcat4.0 has a future too - but that's because of the
individuals behind it, and will have a future as long as those individuals
will be there or other will take their places.
> > as much as possible from 4.0 - so whatever will happen in the future in
> > 4.0 can happen in 3.3 too )
>
> Very true, but not under the ASF because you will be forked elsewhere as you
> have already stated.
Even if ASF is "forking me", the code will continue to exist and probably
will keep working.
> from providing one as well. Competition is good. I like forks and your fork
> would be the first fork of the Tomcat platform. I am totally +1 on that
> without a doubt because it proves that the people here at the ASF are
> producing quality code.
The only problem is that I don't like forks. The only reason I have for
forking is that the people there at ASF ( you, Pier, Craig ) are asking
and forcing me to do so.
Costin
