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Date:      Fri, 14 Dec 2007 20:44:09 -0600
From:      Paul Schmehl <pauls@utdallas.edu>
To:        freebsd-ports@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: Limitations of Ports System
Message-ID:  <8B7776E2EBA2B5F1EEA02492@paul-schmehls-powerbook59.local>
In-Reply-To: <47632BFE.6000801@brianwhalen.net>
References:  <475F7390.9090509@gmail.com> <20071214121906.1241dcdd@gumby.homeunix.com> <B3A6C3A7E2071BE94F2EFA1E@utd59514.utdallas.edu> <200712140947.26972.david@vizion2000.net>	<476301A8.4090009@FreeBSD.org> <476303A3.4010205@gmail.com>	<20071214232706.GB812@menantico.com> <476322E3.4040106@paradise.net.nz> <47632BFE.6000801@brianwhalen.net>

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--On December 14, 2007 5:21:02 PM -0800 Brian <bri@brianwhalen.net> wrote:
>
> Information does indeed need to be gathered, and while even the ports
> list will only grab a small percentage of FreeBSD users, other options
> would likely grab a lot less.  Plus, most of the users here are
> knowledgeable enough to give decent input.  For those of you that don't
> like change may I suggest the book that led to
> http://www.whomovedmycheese.com/.  It is really in all of our best
> interest to have the product evolve, the alternative is much worse.

This really is getting quite irritating.  Not one person on this list has=20
*ever* said they don't want to entertain new ideas for ports.  Not one=20
person on this list has said they don't like change.  *All* of the=20
complaints have been along the lines of "go write some code and stop=20
filling up this list with posts".  And that is *precisely* the point.

Yet the proponents of the Aryeh bandwagon keep throwing up this straw man=20
that those of us who have tired of the useless back and forth are refusing =

to listen and uninterested in change, when *nothing* could be further from =

the truth.  ports@ is *not* a development list.  Its purpose is to provide =

news about ports, discuss problems with ports, get advice on porting and=20
so forth.  Or, to quote its charter, "Discussions concerning FreeBSD's=20
=E2=80=9Cports collection=E2=80=9D (/usr/ports), ports infrastructure, and =
general=20
ports coordination efforts. This is a technical mailing list for which=20
strictly technical content is expected."

Get that?  "Strictly technical".  "How do you feel about the present=20
design" or "what don't you like about the present design" or "if you could =

change something about ports, what would it be" are *not* appropriate=20
discussions for this list.

It's time to move this "discussion" to some place where those that *care*=20
about coding and/or redesigning the ports system can participate and=20
discuss code and return this list to its original purpose.  The only=20
FreeBSD list that would be appropriate (if that - it's not really) would=20
be arch, which is for architecture and design discussions.  This thread is =

a design discussion and does not belong here.  Please move it to a more=20
appropriate place and leave this list alone.  Ask the FreeBSD maintainers=20
to create a new list "ports-design@" if you like, but please stop the=20
discussions here.  They are inappropriate for this list.

And stop lying about the motivations of the many talented people who have=20
asked, politely and otherwise, to stop.

Paul Schmehl (pauls@utdallas.edu)
Senior Information Security Analyst
The University of Texas at Dallas
http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/security/




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