From owner-freebsd-hackers Mon Jul 9 10:10: 9 2001 Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net (avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.121.50]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id ED6D637B405; Mon, 9 Jul 2001 10:10:02 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from tlambert2@mindspring.com) Received: from mindspring.com (dialup-209.244.104.114.Dial1.SanJose1.Level3.net [209.244.104.114]) by avocet.mail.pas.earthlink.net (EL-8_9_3_3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id KAA07937; Mon, 9 Jul 2001 10:10:01 -0700 (PDT) Message-ID: <3B49E58D.5EDDDA2A@mindspring.com> Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:10:37 -0700 From: Terry Lambert Reply-To: tlambert2@mindspring.com X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en]C-CCK-MCD {Sony} (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Nik Clayton Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG, Ted Mittelstaedt , Eric Wayte , freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: FreeBSD Mall now BSDCentral References: <000701c10452$ca818600$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> <3B4560DD.428634F8@softweyr.com> <20010706092541.C23117@canyon.nothing-going-on.org> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG Nik Clayton wrote: > The thorny question of "What do they have to include and still call it > FreeBSD?" is resolved by saying that any FreeBSD distribution must > include, as a minimum, the contents of the "mini" ISO (including > sysinstall). Anyone that wants to include an alternative installation > routine (open or closed source) can do, as long as sysinstall is still > there. Then the FreeBSD docs can continue to refer to sysinstall, and > the project doesn't get flack if someone puts together a distribution > with a crap installer, because sysinstall will always be there as a > fallback. First: sysinstall must die: this is non-negotiable. Second: it is an albatross, and forcing people to include it is obnoxious, and definitely not in the long term best interests of the project. Third: tying the hands of distributors with regard to what they "must" distribute is stupid: you might as well GPL the damn thing, and call it a day, if you want that level of editorial control over third party distributors content. Personally, I'd be perfectly happy to trust people to do right by the project; I'd be happy with an X server that configured itself in software, and with a default boot-to-X and that Java version of the InstallShield product. I'd also like to see someone produce a handicap accessible version of FreeBSD: e.g. there would be no sysinstall. I'd like to see a distribution that Installed multiple roots, and supported fail-over booting like nextboot used to. And I want to see a distribution where / is mounted read-only, with only the necessary parts being mounted writeable at all. Making people keep sysinstall precludes innovations which make FreeBSD more accessible to more people, and broaden the user base. -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message