Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 18:47:54 +1100 (EST) From: Andrew Perry <andrew@python.shoal.net.au> To: chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: RMS's view on dynamic linking Message-ID: <Pine.BSI.3.95.970223180309.27850B-100000@python.shoal.net.au> In-Reply-To: <12622.856657876@time.cdrom.com>
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you lot are all on chat aren't you? in m imhoawarttf(in my humble opion and without any reference to the facts!) (my experience with social statistics is limited to asimov's foundation series and a STRONG maths background (several years ago before alcohol destroyed all my brain cells!)) This isn't a big enough group to apply these kind of statistics to. You can apply them to a larger group an still be wrong. A group this size is subject to individual drives and strengths/weaknesses how much some poor bastard is willing to do in order to support his cause and how much a real bastard is driven to make sure it doesn't work. You guys have managed to wedge your foot in a big enough gap for the blokes with ability to keep it going. You are standing strong against the might (and weakness!) of misro$oft and are providing the goods and looking after the newbies (me!!). In my short history the advances of FreeBSD have come in times of greatest threat (security threat to 2.1.6) and when the blokes (females are blokes too!) feel the need. You people are good! In my (previosly described) opinion you are gaining more market share, people (especially down here) side with the underdog who gives it his/her all and produces the goods and that's exactly what you're doing. From where i'm standing this is a lot more fun and a lot more productive!! Sorry if i'm being repetitive but I'm just trying to mix a bit of the refute the argument with a bit of the keep it boiling lads I'm curious though, recently we were told about the statistics on your ftp site and you compared them with linux. Just out of curiosity how many mirror sited does linux have? I know that i've always tried our local mirror first to reduce the inevitable traffic that you must have. And in case i've beat about the bush too much (as is my wont (Billy Connelly)) I agree with Jordan wholeheartedly (is that one word?) enough bs for one night i'll see you all in the 2.1.7 morning (i hope) later andrew perry andrew@shoal.net.au On Sat, 22 Feb 1997, Jordan K. Hubbard wrote: > > Political science isn't a science. It can not predict. It is misnamed. > > So noted. I would also like to table an objection to "social science" > under the same terms, however. :-) > > That's not to say that human behavior cannot be categorized - you do > have all your basic fear response, sex drive, and pack instinct > indices to rely on when you're trying to predict things such as > whether one group is likely to jump on another anytime soon, and > they're generally not far wrong. Where it falls down as a science is > in basically the same place that political science breaks down - on > the smaller (and I daresay more practical) scale where the brownian > motion of individual human quirks is too great an influence on events > to allow a linear set of rules to operate reliably. In other words, > you just have to pick a basic direction and roll with the random > punches as they come from all conceivable directions. > > > Sociology *can* be a science, since it *can* predict, as long as it's > > applied statistically. Most sociologists fail to apply it statistically. > > Oh sure, just apply more-a them-there statistics and all the numbers > come out right. Why didn't they think of that! :-) > > Needless to say, I heartily disagree. > > > I can predict that a social construct like FreeBSD operate in a certain > > fashion based on its organizing principles, based on observation of > > other social constructs with similar organizing principles. In the > > same way I can predict a rock will fall on Mars by observing that rocks > > Heh, somehow I doubt that the greatest periods of accelleration or > decelleration in FreeBSD's future will have much to do with its > organizing principles. I suspect that most people will continue to go > on in much the same way they have these last 3-4 years, quietly fixing > bugs and adding features to the system as they deem it appropriate. > Where the greatest potential changes lie are in passing comets - some > event external to the project sucking one or more project members > away, or perhaps more positively funding its development in some > specific direction. Who knows? Least of all, I suspect, Terry. :-) > > Jordan >
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