Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 11:21:03 +0930 (CST) From: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> To: tom@uniserve.com (Tom) Cc: current@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Make this a relese coordinator decision (was Re: ports-current/packages-current discontinued) Message-ID: <199708040151.LAA16754@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.970803181521.4813B-100000@shell.uniserve.com> from Tom at "Aug 3, 97 06:15:43 pm"
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Tom stands accused of saying: > > > > > > Exactly. Current developers need to agree to not break compatibility, > > > and the problem is solved. Some ports (very few), that need access to > > > various kernel may need to broken, but the number of such should be small. > > > > Whacko. While we're at it, let's just rename this list "msdos-current". > > What? What exactly are you trying to say here? I'd have thought that was obvious; let me try a longer version that may have a better chance of getting through. Please don't pick holes in my illustration; look at the _fundamental_ issue involved : If you accept the statement above, then you are accepting that there is no future in developing FreeBSD. Suppose I propose some new, useful, possibly performance-enhancing or otherwise beneficial change. This change will only be introduced in -current, where it will receive a healthy shakedown before it becomes part of a release. The proposed change alters a number of features of the system's behaviour, in a fashion widely regarded as beneficial; everyone agrees that it would be a Good Thing. But wait! It creates a compatability problem with the ports collection. All of a sudden, I am faced with the demand that I must independantly test over a thousand ports for compatability, and abandon my change if any fail. Now let us suppose that the feature was incorporated, and somehow the ports adapted to deal with it. Then it is discovered that the feature was misdesigned, and in fact should be done differently; remember, this is a basic fact of software development. And now I have to test all the ports over again. Can you see how stupid this is? -- ]] Mike Smith, Software Engineer msmith@gsoft.com.au [[ ]] Genesis Software genesis@gsoft.com.au [[ ]] High-speed data acquisition and (GSM mobile) 0411-222-496 [[ ]] realtime instrument control. (ph) +61-8-8267-3493 [[ ]] Unix hardware collector. "Where are your PEZ?" The Tick [[
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