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Date:      Mon, 09 Apr 2001 20:43:42 -0400
From:      "Michael S. O'Donnell" <mso@bus.net>
To:        freebsd-small@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   WindRiver takeover.
Message-ID:  <3AD2573E.156C2F39@bus.net>
References:  <20010405104816.D746@tao.org.uk> <Pine.BSF.4.21.0104051839150.89661-100000@home.offwhite.net> <20010406201050.F798@tao.org.uk>

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truth be told, as an embedded developer, i am happy to see some bsd based
embedded os development, even if it isn't free.  if it remains open source, it
could be great.  fact is, linux will never get there as an embedded os because
it is driven by hobbyists who go feature crazy since they could care less whether
they use a proc that costs $15 or $30 (or $90 for that matter), and on a
one-off, 32k, 64k, 8M, who cares?  qunix is too expensive.  embedded
systems are really not the goal of pico, it is completely oriented towards
i-appliances (i would be surprised if the main developers would disagree).

the fact of the matter is, 'embedded systems' is as about a narrow a term as
insect.  as horrible as it sounds, a corporate approach will result in a survey
of the market's needs, and a universal system design.

although i do not have the skills to contribute, i have watched the development
of many attempts at free embedded OSs.  they quickly go out of control, then
the key contributors reign it in to something highly focused, which invariably
becomes either an os only good for routers, or gets shelved when real-time
concerns conflict with the pc-based os it originates from.

i believe we should welcome wind river's best efforts.  if they remain open
source, and allow us to download and only pay if we sell a product
containing their code, this could be a great resource.  or, maybe it will
completely suck.

> If they want to steer FereBSD into the ground for small systems, they
> will not succeed.  I'll make sure of that.

the freebsd license is secure.  there is no fear the big, bad corporation
will take it away.  let's keep an open mind and maybe we can all enjoy
some compatibility between the so carefully crafted freebsd and whatever
wind river is trying to create.

Michael O'Donnell



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