To: hps@intermeta.de
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [OT] Re: Troll Tech [was Re: Sco vs. IBM]
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	<20030619165916.GA14404@work.bitmover.com>
	<20030620001217.G6248@almesberger.net>
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From: Krzysztof Halasa <khc@pm.waw.pl>
Date: 23 Jun 2003 15:06:26 +0200
In-Reply-To: <bd12o3$5t5$2@tangens.hometree.net>
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"Henning P. Schmiedehausen" <hps@intermeta.de> writes:

> Most of the stuff in the Linux kernel (and Userland) is marked as
> "Version 0.1. 0.7beta. alpha-release. 0.2.1testing. 1.2-pre". And so
> on. You won't find many OpenSource developers that call their product
> "Version 3.1" Because they're afraid to bite the bullet a do a
> release.

Probably you'd like RH version numbering scheme more?
Do you think there is a big difference between, say, RH or Mandrake 9,
and Debian 3 (not sure about exact numbers)?

>  With a commercial OS, you get a release version on which you
> can build. Sure it has bugs. Sure, some of the code _is_ alpha
> quality. But that's what a vendor is for.

A vendor is for releasing alpha quality code? Well...

> No it does not. It simply has no political or ideological reasons not
> to talk to other companies, sign NDAs and spend money.  If Sun wants a
> "state of the art" driver for nVidia chips, they call nVidia, draft up
> an agreement, get access to the nVidia docs and build such a
> driver. The main problem of the "open-source" movement is that
> "beggars" attitute. If it costs money, we won't use it.

Not the money is the problem. I don't think the documentation costs
(much) money anyway. The NDA is the problem - why would you want
documentation if it prohibits you from releasing your (source) code?

> Check the level of support of _current_ graphics chips in Linux. You
> get a halfway decent ATI support, "bad, bad, bad closed source" but
> performance-wise very good nVidia support

Never worked for me reliably.

My experience is that under Linux no binary-only kernel modules work
reliably. Not that it's much different with (the) other OSes.
-- 
Krzysztof Halasa
Network Administrator
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