In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Larry Marshall
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
>
>> <flog horse>
>> This is rather microsoft-like in tactics. It's not intentional on
>> netraverse's part (unlike microsoft's forced upgrades). But I'm a little
>> upset at only being able to effectively use win4lin for just a few months
>
>This is where I see the complaints to be misguided. The
>"microsoft-like" tactic is that of Linux, not Netraverse.
etc etc
There seem be several misconceptions here.
i) The linux kernel is an open source project and the direction of the
2.4 series kernel has been discussed, but been generally clear, for some
time. (There is no hidden entity called 'Linux', and even the lead gurus
(Alan Cox and Linus Torvalds) discuss their views and possible changes
in open forum).
ii) 99% of the code areas that win4lin hooks into are essentially
unchanged (indeed little changed since kernel 1.0 series I think)... so
this isn't like going from win3x to win9x.
iii) Netraverse should have been well aware of a possible problem area
(with, let's presume, the change in virtual memory model - a change
which was much discussed, and which could yet be back-ported into 2.2
series remember...).
iv) They have a respected product, useful to the greater linux
community. They should have stated their requirements like all other
'informed customers' with specific needs- and of course, been ready to
contribute possible changes. (This is how the dosemu and wine teams
would work, I suggest.)
v) But they chose not to, and gave everyone the impression that 2.4
would be a routine upgrade - indeed I suspect they convinced themselves
of this!
vi) In the end they've had to rebuild their vm more extensively than
they first thought, I suspect, and are making us pay for their mistake
of not keeping themselves up to speed!
vi) The conflict here is thus between the open-source, collaborative,
and closed source, non-collaborative ways of working - (this isn't a
commercial/non-commercial issue - other commercial organisations have
managed to come to come to terms with open-source development, and
reaped advantage from it. Recent examples are Corel and wine, Sun &
Staroffice, IBM and the mwave drivers).
vii) Trelos/Netraverse have often expressed intentions in this
direction, but then pleaded 'm'learned friends' as getting in the way.
Bob
--
robert w hall
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