Date: Wed, 29 Jan 1997 19:30:15 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> To: msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au (Michael Smith) Cc: mcgovern@spoon.beta.com, hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Constructive criticism (was: bashing everyone for fun and profit) Message-ID: <199701300230.TAA20882@phaeton.artisoft.com> In-Reply-To: <199701300120.LAA24028@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> from "Michael Smith" at Jan 30, 97 11:50:10 am
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
> > I've been noticing, more an more, that FreeBSD has been/is being > > divided in to two camps. Basically, the "has", and the "has > > not". What I mean by this, is that there appears to be the core > > team, who kick butt making this stuff all work, then the people like > > me, who'd like to help out where they can, but seem to have an > > incredible time getting started. > > This is called the "learning curve". There are two ways to climb it, for > climb it you must if you want to do anything. [ ... ] How about flattening the curve, instead? It's not an inherent property. [ ... ] > If you can't work out how device drivers are integrated, I seriously > doubt that you're up to writing one in the first place. 8( This is wrong... I don't have to understand linker sets to be a good driver writer, but if I don't, how the driver gets integrated is a bit of FreeBSD-specific mystery, totally abstract from the concept of writing drivers themselves. [ ... wishful thinking on a document describing the existing DKI ... ] > I hate to say it, but I think that the right line for you is "there > are a lot of us out here that like to whine about doing stuff because > it requires some effort, and we're socialised to expect everything > handed to us on a platter covered with disclaimers". Or "we're interested in solving the problems themselves using a defined methodology, than in examining code to determine, each on our own, what a successful methodology might look like; if everyone has to reinvent the wheel, then no one will have time left to work on the wagon". Point of view, really... he did say he was willing to figuratively "reinvent the wheel and document it so other won't have to", only he had the problem with "reinventing how to document". Can't have a wheel until someone documents "how to make a circle"... 8-). Note: I betting that you realize that if you are arguing against documentation, you can't win. 8-) 8-). Regards, Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199701300230.TAA20882>