Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 09:44:12 -0700 From: Doug Barton <DougB@gorean.org> To: Warner Losh <imp@village.org> Cc: papowell@astart.com, nik@FreeBSD.ORG, arch@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Bringing LPRng into FreeBSD? Message-ID: <3958D9DC.DA75504E@gorean.org> References: <3958502D.DF9729BD@gorean.org> <200006242153.OAA01110@h4.private> <200006270615.AAA31842@harmony.village.org> <200006270725.BAA32822@harmony.village.org>
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Warner Losh wrote:
>
> In message <3958502D.DF9729BD@gorean.org> Doug Barton writes:
> : I'm surprised to hear this coming from you, actually. I disagree
> : strongly that discouraging commercial vendors from being able to
> : integrate "stock" parts of freebsd into their product is "not our
> : problem." One of the drawing cards for freebsd is that commercial
> : vendors _can_ take our code and use it in any manner they see fit. The
> : list of exceptions is long enough already, I haven't seen a compelling
> : reason to make it longer.
>
> I'd like to point out that FreeBSD isn't all Free.
A point which I readily concede. My question is, should we be working
to make it more free, or adding more software that makes it less free?
> Second, the ARTISTIC license does not preclude FreeBSD from including
> LPRng. This statement is still true. We can comply with all the
> terms of the license.
I also conceded this point.
> Third, we have a crying need for a better print system.
This is where you lose me. I haven't seen this need demonstrated. Au
contraire, I have seen many people say that the current lp* is good
enough for them, or easily adaptable to their specific needs through the
ports. In all my years of working with freebsd, including using it as a
desktop at home I've not spent even 10 hours worrying about lpd. I've
installed apsfilter at home, and added the jet direct card to the
printcap at work.... voila.
> lpr/lpd are hard to maintain and difficult to audit.
I can't comment authoritatively on this, except to say that we do have
volunteers willing (and apparently able) to hack on what we have. I
would like to see them have the opportunity.
> So we have to weigh the needs of most of the FreeBSD users against the
> theoretical needs of a potential company wanting to make print servers
> on a stick that requires them to hack lprng.
You have left out the philosophical point. I think it's obvious that
you don't see that as important (or important enough), but there are
some of us who do. Perhaps in the end that's not enough of a reason to
keep it out. I just personally feel that this would be a move in the
wrong direction.
This'll probably be my last post on this topic, since I'm now repeating
myself.
Doug
--
"Live free or die"
- State motto of my ancestral homeland, New Hampshire
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