Date: Wed, 08 Sep 1999 17:13:56 -0700 From: "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com> To: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> Cc: Phil Regnauld <regnauld@ftf.net>, "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Market share and platform support Message-ID: <4922.936836036@localhost> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Wed, 08 Sep 1999 10:24:56 MDT." <4.2.0.58.19990908100529.05259560@localhost>
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> O'Reilly has turned down several book proposals on BSD UNIX -- from me and
> from other authors -- saying that Linux has so much more market share that it
Perhaps they just didn't like you. They asked me to do a book and I
turned them down due to too many committments elsewhere. They've also
published 2 FreeBSD books in Japanese - I saw them the last time I was
in Tokyo.
> So, you see, relative market share DOES matter. FreeBSD must get up there on
> the charts, or the ports will not come. And, as mentioned in another thread
We are getting up on the charts and the ports are coming. I've
counted at least 3 new products in the last 2 months - we have the XNI
network monitoring software (which will be demo'd at the upcoming
BAFUG meeting), we have the Polyserve load balancing package (adding
FreeBSD to its Solaris and Linux product line before NT even) and we
have C-Forge (see recent press). The "buy-in" I'm also getting at
trade-shows and other vendor-populated events more recently is also
very heartening. Just 3 years ago, the responses I got to inquiries
ranged from "what's FreeBSD?" to "we already support Linux" ("um,
we're not a linux") and many vendors at COMDEX were just basically
clueless about our very existence. Now, many trade-shows and press
articles later, I'm getting outright statements of "I'm *really glad*
you came to talk to us, let me introduce you to our CTO!" and
"FreeBSD? Yes, we have a port for that already in progress. Let me
give you my card" from some of those very same vendors. That may not
seem on-par with the "My god, you're Linus Torvalds! Can I touch your
sleeve?" sorts of receptions you'd probably insist upon before
acknowledging any tangible signs of progress, but it's definitely
progress in my book.
In any case, we've expended many bytes in this mailing list in
discussing the topic and frankly it's starting to become only tiring,
not enlightening or motivating. Discussions which serve only to tire
one out are not useful discussions in my book and nothing you're ever
going to say will change my mind on THAT particular point, so you
might as well save your fingers too. Rather than continue discuss the
"memes of advocacy" and other mere conceptualizations of progress in
all the areas you say we lack it, it's my personal choice to keep
"feeding the PR machine" by visiting trade shows, speaking before
audiences and press weasels of various shapes and colors, and doing
the whole road tour thing in general since that seems like the most
tangible way to make progress.
Anyone else who's interested in doing rather than just talking about
doing is also more than welcome to join me at such events, just as
many people currently do. Such folks are a major help in tackling
press weasels, pressuring vendors for support and otherwise doing
*exactly* what the many legions of Linux folks do in whipping up
support for their OS of choice and I really appreciate their
participation. All this talk of dominant memes and subverting the
current paradigm is mere fiddle-faddle when it comes right down to it
becuase it's the front-liners who do the work and the front liners who
I respect.
If I start seeing Brett Glass more on the front lines and not just
working for unspecified "clients" on not-very-visible advocacy efforts
then, and only then, will I start to trust that he can walk the walk
in addition to talking the talk and we can perhaps even begin to have
constructive discussions here and investigate potential areas of
cooperation. That day is still yet to arrive, however, and further
un-constructive discussions during the interval are therefore just a
waste of time and energy. I'll waste no more of either until Brett
changes his current classification on the FreeBSD user taxonomy chart.
- Jordan
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