Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Thu, 06 Feb 1997 18:08:08 +0100
From:      "Julian H. Stacey" <jhs@freebsd.org>
To:        Karl Denninger <karl@mcs.net>
Cc:        jkh@freebsd.org, chat@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Blacklisting and being "asked" to deinstall FreeBSD - you heard that right! 
Message-ID:  <199702061708.SAA03918@vector.jhs.no_domain>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 05 Feb 1997 17:23:04 CST." <199702052323.RAA18464@Jupiter.Mcs.Net> 

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Hi Karl,
CC Jordan & chat@
	
I'm not happy about your cross posting, so this is reduced to chat@  ...

Security is not worth reading about, for the majority of current@ &
hackers@ subscribers, let alone the bulk of CD purchasers !	 
Proof:
	`echo who security | mail majordomo@freebsd.org` | wc
	Repeat with current & hackers, & number of CDs sold.
This may be heresy for you as an ISV, or for most of us as responsible
programmers ... but it's hard to refute numbers !
Not many people think it worth their time to read the security list !

A CD vendor such as WC Inc (`Our Sponsor' ;-) would probably not take kindly
to delaying sales accruing to a forthcoming release, for a security problem,
as all release delays cost WC Inc. money in number of CDs sold per year.

FreeBSD is Not a USA timezone operation, it is a world wide operation that
needs time to respond.  Cancelling & recalling any release would be something
I guess many in core & maybe wider would want time to consider, whenever 
mooted, Time means 24 hours to cover all timezones + more time to discuss.

It's not suprising your demand for a recall of a release within hours
was not exactly greeted with open arms:
- Security isn't very important to `our' (not `your') market (see 'domo ;-)
- Delaying Releases costs WC money.
- FreeBSD big decisions take more than 24 hours.

Calling for a release to be pulled within hours instead of days,
does not fit FreeBSD. An ISV wanting fast local timezone action,
does have the option of _Buying_ a BSD maintenance contract,
from the nearest FreeBSD commercial consultants, try
	http://www.freebsd.org/~jhs/freebsd/consultants.html
(Yes I am on that list, No I'm _not_ trying to attract your clientel :-)
or _Buying_ support from BSDI, or _Paying_ Lemis for Linux support etc.

If you stay with FreeBSD, please file your diffs using send-pr
  (through a nom-de-plume if you want, if you reckon they'll have a better
   chance after the recent fire storm ;-),
By all means publish diffs in web space too if you want, 
  (I do that, for stuff I haven't got round to submitting, or others haven't
   got round to committing, for instance I maintain src/ & ports/ shaped 
   diff trees indexed from	http://www.freebsd.org/~jhs/src/src.html )
But Please do not set up Yet_Another_BSD.

I deplore your threat to start a 4th BSD to add to FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD,
BSDI, Linux, SCO (Server & Unixware), & all the other Unixes.
I wish you Zero Success for a 4th BSD: do not give the MS-Win & NT mob
reason to further criticise our fractured Unix market segment.

Julian
--
Julian H. Stacey	jhs@freebsd.org  	http://www.freebsd.org/~jhs/



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199702061708.SAA03918>