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Date:      Thu, 4 Mar 1999 20:12:48 -0500 (EST)
From:      "John S. Dyson" <dyson@iquest.net>
To:        dwilde1@thuntek.net (Donald Wilde)
Cc:        dyson@iquest.net, freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: what's in a name?
Message-ID:  <199903050112.UAA02502@y.dyson.net>
In-Reply-To: <36DF1F7E.A03B0D9D@thuntek.net> from Donald Wilde at "Mar 4, 99 05:04:14 pm"

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Donald Wilde said:
> 
> BTW, glad to see you back, John. Can I hope that your educated touch is
> again being applied to the -core code?
> 
I am in the periphery, trying to help.  I cannot really be in a position
of time consuming responsibility, but do want FreeBSD to flourish.  I
think that the ALC/Matt team (which I am helping with in the background)
has a really good chance of doing well.

The mix of Matt's energy and ALC's very in-depth knowledge (not to
compare the two, but to extoll the substantial virtues of each) has a
potential of being "magic."  There is a chance of small amounts being
contributed to that team being multiplied by them into amazing feats.
Ideas should be presented to ALC and/or Matt...  ALC has been helping
me with VM issues (when I was working on the code) for a few years.
Some of the bits 'n pieces that he had helped me(us) with were alot
more valuable than it might seem on the surface.  In fact, with him,
Tor Egge and a few others, it made working on the VM code personally
much more satisfying in the last few years, than it might have been.

The key to things working are the mix of energy and structure both.  The
FreeBSD code is no longer able to be "hacked on" due to it being more
and more critical in it's application.  The more formal review process
will help keep quality high, only slowing down innovation slightly, but
erasing one of the costs of innovation being instability.  When I was
working on it, a lack of structure (which it should have been my
responsibility to impose) was a significant problem.  I think that FreeBSD
will be getting the best of all worlds with the new, evolving situation.

I'll be feeding info and help to ALC (supporting him when he sees fit), but
cannot be a key player in FreeBSD.  I suspect that I have enough influence
to help, when needed, but as time is moving on during this evolution,
things will become stronger and stronger -- perhaps more institutional,
working on a "team" basis.  The good thing is that the current constituents
will probably be able to "add" their skills (things are still settling out,
but I feel that the future bodes well, with a only little more
self-organizing needed.)

My real interest is in a new project that I still haven't made enough
progress yet, but the FreeBSD work is still a love of mine and am very
satisifed with what is now happening.  IMO, the future of FreeBSD is more
in the hands of marketing than in technical achievement -- and the future
of my project will be depending on the *BSD's in general (with a personal
bias towards FreeBSD.)  I want/need for FreeBSD to succeed.  As a side-note,
since I am dependent on innovation being a sellable skill, I want to see
codebases out there that can be used as fuel for developers, marketeers,
and end users.  *BSD's have a good (if not nearly ideal) license for
almost everyone in the economic foodchain.

-- 
John                  | Never try to teach a pig to sing,
dyson@iquest.net      | it makes one look stupid
jdyson@nc.com         | and it irritates the pig.


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