Date: Mon, 09 Jul 2001 10:10:37 -0700 From: Terry Lambert <tlambert2@mindspring.com> To: Nik Clayton <nik@FreeBSD.ORG> Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG, Ted Mittelstaedt <tedm@toybox.placo.com>, Eric Wayte <ewayte@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu>, freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: FreeBSD Mall now BSDCentral Message-ID: <3B49E58D.5EDDDA2A@mindspring.com> References: <000701c10452$ca818600$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> <3B4560DD.428634F8@softweyr.com> <20010706092541.C23117@canyon.nothing-going-on.org>
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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
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