From owner-freebsd-hackers Mon Dec 11 07:44:33 1995 Return-Path: owner-hackers Received: (from root@localhost) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.3/8.7.3) id HAA21463 for hackers-outgoing; Mon, 11 Dec 1995 07:44:33 -0800 (PST) Received: from etinc.com (et-gw.etinc.com [165.254.13.209]) by freefall.freebsd.org (8.7.3/8.7.3) with SMTP id HAA21450 for ; Mon, 11 Dec 1995 07:44:27 -0800 (PST) Received: from trumpet.etnet.com (trumpet.etnet.com [129.45.17.35]) by etinc.com (8.6.11/8.6.9) with SMTP id KAA01366; Mon, 11 Dec 1995 10:59:45 -0500 Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 10:59:45 -0500 Message-Id: <199512111559.KAA01366@etinc.com> X-Sender: dennis@etinc.com X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 2.0.3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: Poul-Henning Kamp From: dennis@etinc.com (dennis) Subject: Re: FBSD support inc. Cc: hackers@freebsd.org Sender: owner-hackers@freebsd.org Precedence: bulk >> > I think Cygnus is an interesting parallel here. >> > >> > I think that if Julian wants to do it, he should be most welcome indeed. >> >> You miss my entire point. The question is not so much whether or not >> it should be done, the question is whether it will be done in such a >> way so as to actually succeed. If you think it's an easy problem then >> I urge you think about it another 10 or 20 times. >> >> An organization that collapses, leaving its customers stranded, would >> be far worse than no organization at all. > >I'm pretty confident that Julian knows what he's doing. > >I don't think he expects it to be particular easy, and I anticipate >that he will not promise more than he can bite off, if I know him right. > >If anybody were to head this, Julian would be my first choice. > >Jordan, we also have to be careful not to try to "censor" ventures >based on FreeBSD. (Now, there! Take that! The "C" word, used to >be good for a 3 week flamefest on Usenet :-) > >The next thing would be to be worried that Rod sells some junky HW, and >that it would damage our reputation. > >That would indeed be going down the very same slippery slope that made >Jolitz disappear from polite company. > >If Julian sets up "WorldWide Virtual FreeBSD Support", I have no problems >with that. > >If people engage in bussiness with him, they have the duty to examine >what they put their money into. That is not our problem. But the possibility exists that his "customers" may want something "fixed" or to work in a specific way that is contrary to the direction that the core team wants to take. You may also get pressure from your friends to prioritize things differently, to meet a more commercial agenda. There will almost certainly be pressure to branch off, which could weaken both sides. Support without control is a very sticky business. But, of course, anyone is free to do as they please. But he asked for comments..... db ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emerging Technologies, Inc. http://www.etinc.com Synchronous Communications Cards and Routers For Discriminating Tastes. 56k to T1 and beyond. Frame Relay, PPP, HDLC, and X.25