Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Thu, 30 Jul 1998 07:20:54 -0400
From:      "Stuart Krivis" <stuart@krivis.com>
To:        freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: FreeBSD advocacy
Message-ID:  <199807301127.HAA24756@smok.apk.net>
In-Reply-To: <199807292219.SAA23567@shell.monmouth.com>
References:  <199807292109.RAA10511@server.computeralt.com> from "Scott I. Remick" at Jul 29, 98 05:09:09 pm

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help


On 29 Jul 98, at 18:19, Bill/Carolyn Pechter wrote:

> However, Linux has an evangelical bunch of GNUites that are pushing
> hard for their "GPL'd everything" mindset.  There's also Caldera and Red

Oh, get off it! Everybody is slamming GNU all of a sudden. GNU has provided an 
excellent set of tools that an awful lot of people use daily.

People push GPL because it is better than something like the MS EUA. And it 
_is_ better.

There's no point in slamming a whole group of people who feel they are doing 
good when the real enemy is the group of people who are _against_ open 
standards. 

I agree that some people turn GNU into a religion. And I don't like zealots of any 
stripe. But then some BSDers go just as far in terms of zealotry and devote a lot 
of time to being anti-GNU. A zealot is a zealot.

If you don't like the GPL, then don't use their code in your projects. And maybe 
you should work on coming up with a catchy abbreviation for the BSD license so 
it gets some press too. (The BS-L? hehe)

> Hat offering "PAID SUPPORT" which counts in the business market. (Read
> that as someone to blame, sue and fight if something does not work as
> advertised).

Accountability is worth a lot when dealing with suits.

> wonder if Caldera ever made back the investment with Sun... I've got

No. Wabi is no longer considered a current product. They're still selling it, but not 
actively doing any development. And it is still broken in some ways. (It's 
inexpensive though...)

> Geez.  I cursed the Red Hat 5.0 install last week.  I've been loading
> Linux since SLS and I hadn't seen a Linux install I prefer to sysinstall.

RH 5 and 5.1 have decent install routines. I can bring up a Linux box just as fast 
as a FreeBSD box (faster actually, because installing packages is dog slow in 
FreeBSD).

> > I think FreeBSD's PR team needs to send some emails, make some calls,
> > and start kicking some major butt ;)

In the Linux world there are several companies that make a profit from selling and 
promoting Linux. It will be extremely hard to compete with that. They have 
advocacy and promotion built into their business model and it's a full-time thing 
for them. They have VARs and co-op advertising plans.

I have a RH bumper sticker, an SSC t-shirt, and a Caldera plaque in the lobby. 
With FreeBSD I just have an OS that quietly sits there and works. :-) 

> I really think a common binary and installer for Free/Net/OpenBSD might
> work if we could unify enough to get this done in the name of commercial
> apps.  We'd have to lock down this format to NOT change, though.

This was the cry of the ISVs when they were originally asked why they didn't port 
to Linux. "Too many versions and distributions!" Obviously, that has changed 
somewhat.

What FreeBSD needs is more time in the spotlight. Get people using the better 
mousetrap and the vendors will beat a path to your door. (To mangle an old 
saying...)


--

Stuart Krivis     stuart@krivis.com
[Team APK]  

To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message



Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199807301127.HAA24756>