Date: Sat, 25 Apr 1998 18:59:20 +0200 From: Jeremy Lea <reg@shale.csir.co.za> To: John Birrell <jb@cimlogic.com.au>, "Pedro F. Giffuni" <giffunip@asme.org> Cc: hasty@rah.star-gate.com, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG, freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Andreessen: Linux use growing Message-ID: <19980425185920.A8244@shale.csir.co.za> In-Reply-To: <199804242344.JAA08131@cimlogic.com.au>; from John Birrell on Sat, Apr 25, 1998 at 09:44:12AM %2B1000 References: <35412238.41C67EA6@asme.org> <199804242344.JAA08131@cimlogic.com.au>
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Hi, [cc'd to -advocacy, please trim responses as appropriate] On Sat, Apr 25, 1998 at 09:44:12AM +1000, John Birrell wrote: > Pedro F. Giffuni wrote: > > I suspect that everything we do to improve Mozilla will be credited to > > the "Linux development model" > > The development model that they are about to use is very similar to the > FreeBSD development model. CVS, online sources, areas of responsibility > with commit access... I don't know about anyone else here, but I've been following (speed reading :) some of the mozilla.org mailing lists, and my impression of their project is that it is going to take them at least a few months to settle into a development model. There is still a lot of worship of people @netscape.com, (much like FreeBSD does with -core ;), and there are big problems between the Linux and Windows groups. The Linux guys want a 'killer app' and the Windows guys want IE4. I would really like to see them 'encouraged' into a FreeBSD model. I think that the importance of mozilla.org lies in publicity, not in it becoming a 'killer app'. The project has a very high media status, and will attract more companies to look into open source software. If they develop a fanatical Linux type structure then it will make people weary, and if they just try to emulate M$, then people would rather go straight to Bill. But if they see a level headed, mature organisation, with committed people and a bossiness like manner (which I believe FreeBSD has most of the time ;), then companies will be willing to forge ties (and Netscape might not can the project). I'm not sure what I could do to help. John, you say there are behind the scenes communications. Are these to do with helping them set up CVS, etc? My wish is that FreeBSD would leverage (now there's a nice marketing word :) their existing worldwide mirrors to make an 'instant' worldwide mozilla.org (ie cvsup.za.mozilla.org, etc), by making pointers in mozilla.org's DNS to freebsd.org's and getting the FreeBSD mirror sites to mirror Mozilla (via CVS and FTP tarballs of the source and binaries). We could do this quickly and it wouldn't consume much resources (not as much as say the distfiles or packages). We could also help them set up GNATS, www mirrors, cvsweb interfaces, and other infrastructure to help them. FreeBSD's mirror infrastructure is something that none of the Linux distributions can offer, although we must not stop them from using other mirror sites and especially from weaning themselves off our infrastructure. As for advocacy, I've found in my short life that the best way to make friends is to give without asking in return. If they want to thank us for the help then that is up to them, but if they don't then we don't help them so much. I think the current netscape people within mozilla.org are clever enough to know that. If we go with "you can have my toy, but only if you promise to be my friend" blackmail, then it will put them off. We could ask them after doing it, and it is working, if they wouldn't mind making a joint press release. We could also ask for a FreeBSD developer(s) to be given access to their CVS tree to be responsible for the FreeBSD version of Mozilla. And in the future when we politely ask Netscape why the FreeBSD version of Communicator is not officially supported we'd get a much friendlier response. Just my 2c, -Jeremy PS. I think that a FreeBSD-Mozilla CVS tree should still be maintained (on bento), so that FreeBSD developers who want to work on Mozilla can coordinate/test their work before submitting it back to mozilla.org. -- .sig.gz To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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