Date: Tue, 09 Mar 1999 12:09:41 -0700 From: Wes Peters <wes@softweyr.com> To: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> Cc: Bill Fumerola <billf@chc-chimes.com>, Brett Taylor <brett@peloton.physics.montana.edu>, Adam Turoff <aturoff@isinet.com>, freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Ports Message-ID: <36E571F5.4CCFCA2B@softweyr.com> References: <4.1.19990302163944.00a1e620@localhost> <4.1.19990308213030.03ea5c80@localhost> <4.1.19990309092847.04176b50@localhost>
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Brett Glass wrote: > > At 01:02 AM 3/9/99 -0700, Wes Peters wrote: > > >It would > >take constant work for ports to be maintained for any given release. > > Why? How much work would it take in addition to what a port maintainer > already does? Development machines running old releases, time to work on them, and a good reason to do so. You've provided none of the above, other than "I want them." > (There aren't THAT many releases per year, and the > a.out-to-ELF transition is a one-time delta. Even this can be solved > by making the older versions accept ELFs. After all, the Linux emulation > module loads ELFs now. All that's necessary to load a FreeBSD ELF is NOT to > swap the APIs.) > > >Since the port maintainers are more interested in doing this for -stable > >and/or -current, I nominate YOU to provide this valuable server to the > >"trailing edge" corps. > > Again, it should be possible to make this part of maintaining a port, so that > it happens "automagically" (or pretty much so). I've suggested some ways > to do it, but I don't "own" that code and am probably not the best person > to modify it -- at least not without consultation. Who owns the code for: It is part of maintaining the port, if the port maintainer wants to do that. If they don't, it doesn't get done unless somebody else steps up to the plate. See, for example, Brian's user-mode PPP, which he keeps up to date for several systems including FreeBSD 2.2.x. > >> If someone out there is taking the time to do builds, I should be able to > >> use them. Otherwise, the port maintainer's time and effort are not > >> being used effectively to bring the most benefit to users. > > > >This is a volunteer project. Many of the prot maintainers are using > >their time effectively to solve THEIR needs, and then sharing this > >with all other FreeBSD users. > > I'm sure that at least some of the port maintainers have mission critical > systems which are a release or two behind the "bleeding edge" and > need this. Likewise, I'll bet others are CVSuping their systems every day. > Support should be consistent. Support should be whatever meets THEIR needs and wants, you're just along for the ride. Unless you're paying them to do it, which you're free to do at ANY time. > Yes, this is a volunteer project. And > since the FreeBSD Project prides itself on professionalism, it should be > more than willing to add that "professional edge" to what it does. You seem to have a different view of professionalism than anyone else. Show me another software company that supports their out-of-date products. Hell, most of them don't even support what they're currently selling! > >If you want something else, feel free > >to contribute it back to the project when you're done. > > I'm contributing the idea and a proposed methodology, and would be delighted > to contribute to the code. However, as I said earlier, I'd like to work with > the people who currently view the code as their "territory." In the past, > I've found that I've "stepped on toes" when I've just tried to contribute > a change without working with the people who feel they have "ownership" > of certain parts of the system. If they viewed the code their "territory", they probably wouldn't be giving away the source, now would they? If you have a port that is of particular importance to you, I'm sure the port maintainer would be glad to help you bring it up-to-date for 2.2.8 or any other release, just don't expect him or her to pick up your bag of rocks and carry it for you. You ask too much. If you want commercial support, go pay for it. See http://www.freebsdmall.com/support/ for details. -- Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket? Wes Peters +1.801.915.2061 Softweyr LLC wes@softweyr.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
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