From owner-freebsd-hackers Fri Mar 10 12: 9:43 2000 Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from freebsd.netcom.com (freebsd.netcom.com [198.211.79.3]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C34D137BB03 for ; Fri, 10 Mar 2000 12:09:37 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from bugs@freebsd.netcom.com) Received: (from bugs@localhost) by freebsd.netcom.com (8.8.8+Sun/8.8.8) id OAA10490 for freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org; Fri, 10 Mar 2000 14:15:46 -0600 (CST) From: Mark Hittinger Message-Id: <200003102015.OAA10490@freebsd.netcom.com> Subject: re: Is FreeBSD dead ? To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Date: Fri, 10 Mar 2000 14:15:46 -0600 (CST) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL2] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG FreeBSD won't be dead until they pry the source code from our cold dead fingers :-) Seriously, as one of the people who saw the potential for FreeBSD in the commercial world back in '94 just prior to the release of 2.0-BETA I do have to say that this is "the next level" that FreeBSD must go to. Regardless of how you feel about the BSD deal, you do at least recognize what the commercialization of Linux under various stock symbols means in the long run to us? Obviously newbieSD is heading in that direction - to IPO and gain funds. This is the next level and we will all judge the results based on what they do with the funds, any commercial partnership agreements etc. If its just a money grab, shame on them. If we don't go to the next level, shame on us. There are a lot of hardware companies that had invested substantially in BSD 4.3 knockoffs and Mach kernel knockoffs. The natural upgrade path for those development efforts is a commercialized version of FreeBSD (imho). There are a lot of sites that are still using BSD variants that have refused to upgrade to the more favored SYSV knockoffs, the natural upgrade path for those is a commercialized version of FreeBSD (imho). There are hardware vendors with very high end multi-processor configurations with boo-quoo memory etc. A natural upgrade path for those vendors (when they finally give up on their own "way-behind-the-curve" unix variant) is to move towards a commercialized version for FreeBSD (imho). They may try Linux, but is Linux "high-end-performance-ready"? As is most things, this is good news only if the management and vision of the newBSD strikes the right balance of fun, risky kernel schemes, stability, and PR spin. If they botch it we've still got our CD's from days gone by. The jinnee cannot be put back in the bottle. One has to say Hurrah! for that. I'm quite interested in this new direction and will be watching what they do - looking for that great idea that I overlooked. I very much hope that this is not a money grab dressed in the illusion of going to the next level. If they start rocking how many of us wouldn't want to be on board? Later Mark Hittinger Earthlink!Mindspring!Netcom!Dallas bugs@freebsd.netcom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message