Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 22:51:25 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "Doug Hass" <dhass@imagestream.com>, "Mike Smith" <msmith@FreeBSD.ORG> Cc: "Leo Bicknell" <bicknell@ufp.org>, "Jim Bryant" <kc5vdj@yahoo.com>, "MurrayTaylor" <taylorm@bytecraft.au.com>, <freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>, <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: FYI Message-ID: <001801c15798$ec656cc0$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.3.96.1011017120835.4443B-100000@ims1.imagestream.com>
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>-----Original Message----- >From: Doug Hass [mailto:dhass@imagestream.com] >Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 10:20 AM >To: Mike Smith >Cc: Ted Mittelstaedt; Leo Bicknell; Jim Bryant; MurrayTaylor; >freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG; freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >Subject: Re: FYI > >I'm glad someone else is speaking up--all I've heard is Ted's point of >view (from him, and from others who have said the same thing: FreeBSD only >accepts BSD licensed code, period.) > That is not my point of view and if you read my mail you will see that and I will thank you very much not to go around saying that. To repeat: I said that "The only time that FreeBSD gets involved in closed-source code is when there is simply NO other alternative - like in this case where the register interface specs are being withheld." and "when given a choice between a better driver or code that is closed source, and a worse driver that has open source, the FreeBSD community has never chosen the driver or code with closed source" This is very far from saying that FreeBSD only accepts BSD licensed code, period. When we have a choice, we take the BSD code and improve it as necessary. Otherwise, we take what we can get. Sometimes, even, companies that release the stuff closed source end up opening it up when they see that by doing so that lots more people will contribute bugfixes and such. > >It's not a generalization at all. Honestly, compared to the market >traction that Linux, VxWorks, Solaris and others have, FreeBSD is >definitely without legs. FreeBSD is not a commercial product and there is no pressure for it to steal all the market share away from all the other UNIX and UNIX-like vendors. It's been proven by Microsoft rather well I think that the majority of computer users in the market will fight their way to junk and push the good stuff aside in their stampede. Even you must admit that if Imagestream had 80% of the router market that it would in no way, shape or form resemble what it is today. You would turn into Cisco. It's unavoidable, and just how life works. (this is not to infer that Cisco is junk, BTW, just that they are a big and often unresponsive company) >The WAN card and RAS card markets are good >examples of where the attitude toward "BSD-licensed code or bust" has >resulted in FreeBSD being largely left out of the party. Three of the >largest manufacturers in these segments (SBS, Cyclades, and Ariel) all >support Linux and NT, but do not have BSD support. > The Cyclades Cyclom-Y boards are supported by the "cy" driver in FreeBSD. This was not written by Cyclades. OK - so it's not a RAS card, but where was Cyclades? >It's too bad we can't find a way to include more companies and >solutions instead of continuing to find ways to EXCLUDE them... > It's a shame that so much misinformation is spread over the BSD license. Just ask yourself - why is it that the BSD license is such an object of controversy? People talk about the GPL being controversial? Sheesh! All the license says is to give away code for free. What a revolutionary idea! Most ironic is that it seems like 1/4 of the GPL advocates out there who are making noise about it want us all lined up against the wall and shot for saying that!!! Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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