Date: Thu, 09 Sep 1999 03:43:53 -0600 From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: Bill Swingle <unfurl@dub.net> Cc: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Market share and platform support Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.19990909032923.045a1da0@localhost> In-Reply-To: <19990909020107.E42659@dub.net> References: <4.2.0.58.19990908203747.0463bd20@localhost> <Your <4.2.0.58.19990908100529.05259560@localhost> <4922.936836036@localhost> <4.2.0.58.19990908203747.0463bd20@localhost>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
At 02:01 AM 9/9/99 -0700, Bill Swingle wrote: >Argh. Brett this is one of a few times that you have made this totally >uninformed claim about the relationship between the project and Walnut >Creek CDROM. You have _no_ first hand, or even second hand knowledge as >to how this is laid out except for your wild fears which you seem to >have let loose. Today, Jordan made a comment about "spiking the guns" of activities of which he did not approve. This indicates that such things are indeed of concern. From the buzz on the lists, other folks -- such as Terry Lambert -- seem to have raised the issue as well. >Being an employee of WC and working solely on FreeBSD, I have first hand >knowledge. The relationship is very simple. We give them a release >schedule so that they know when to expect to be able to replicate/sell >new products and in return they support us financially by paying for >things like trips to trade shows, and ethernet cards for Bill Paul :) >That's it. In that case, will Walnut Creek commit not to interfere with -- or, in fact, to assist -- efforts to bring out alternative distributions? >The picture you paint of Walnut Creek CDROM as the looming >business holding Jordan and the FreeBSD project's puppet strings is >absurd and miles from the truth. Well, legally, there is a real concern. If WC pays you to work on FreeBSD as an employee, they do own the work you do on it, as well as the copyrights on any English or C code you might write and contribute on company time. What's more, they do own equipment that's vital to the project. The project really IS dependent on them. Having been around the block a few times, I know that any such risk must be explored as a part of due diligence, since the attitudes of people and companies DO change. Yes, this means being a bit paranoid, but that's what due diligence is. I would hope that, if Walnut Creek did anything to discourage the production of other distributions of FreeBSD, you and others would howl long and loud about it. But Jordan's remarks concern me. Especially the aforementioned one about spiking guns, but also others. >Here's some more first hand info, _none_ of us are in this for the money. >Most certainly not. We work for Walnut Creek CDROM on FreeBSD because we >believe in it as *the* kick-ass operating system. Do you really think >that we'd continue to do so if WC was holding the project's puppet >strings? As mentioned above, it legally does hold those strings. The question is, are there provisions in place to make sure it doesn't ever tug on them? And if it never intends TO tug on them, is it willing to commit to that? Or, better, to relinquish those strings? --Brett Glass To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?4.2.0.58.19990909032923.045a1da0>