Date: Thu, 14 Nov 1996 05:24:05 -0800 From: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com> To: pgiffuni@fps.biblos.unal.edu.co Cc: Bakul Shah <bakul@PlexusCom.com>, ports@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: [comp.os.linux.announce] xpdf 0.6 - a PDF viewer for X Message-ID: <4962.847977845@time.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 14 Nov 1996 02:08:54 PST." <328AEFB6.2937@ingenieria.ingsala.unal.edu.co>
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> IMHO native ports always have precedence over Linux´s binaries. I > believe all good software should be made available for FreeBSD natively: > we shouldn´t encourage Linux´s development! (I don´t have anything > against LINUX..I only hate Microsoft 8*) ) Erm, your statement somewhat contradicts itself. :-) If you want to combat Microsoft, then your objective should be to get vendors to port to *any* free operating system, be it Linux or *BSD, since at least then you're getting validation from them that the free operating systems are worth supporting and that the product's finished the minute their Win95 version is done. As a former ISV, I also know that they *hate* having to support 47 different platforms since each and every platform, no matter now nice it is, simply costs money to support. I'd like to get our Linux emulation to the point where we can run any of their apps "out of the box", with no additional work in hunting down Linux libraries required. That would, to me, be far more valuable than beating on a lot of vendors to increase their production costs by producing FreeBSD native binaries. Let me put it another way - were I still working for Lotus, I would not even be trying to get them to do FreeBSD versions of their products. I would be trying to get them to do Linux versions, and in my arguments I would point to the sea of books, magazines and newspaper articles which all declare that Linux is the finest invention since 2-ply toilet paper. Given all the supporting evidence available, I might even succeed. On the other hand, if I went to them going "FreeBSD! FreeBSD!", I'd only end up slinking back with my tail between my legs when their questions about the size of our user base, potential profit margins and tangible evidence that FreeBSD represented any kind of significant potential profit base were met with "well, uh, gee. I dunno!" Face it - our users love us and we're growing in popularity, but we're still small. We don't have the million+ estimated users that Linux does, and it just doesn't make us that attractive a market for any reasonably large ISV. On the other hand, if they (the ISV) can sell into both markets with one Linux version, they're much much more likely to be interested. Sorry, that's just the way the world works. :) Jordan
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