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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!ira.uka.de!Germany.EU.net!hcshh!hm From: hm@hcshh.hcs.de (Hellmuth Michaelis) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc Subject: Re: So you say you want an interim release of 386bsd? (What to do?) Message-ID: <2109@hcshh.hcs.de> Date: 23 Apr 93 09:33:00 GMT References: <1qvpc9$1e8@agate.berkeley.edu> <1r067g$915@lobster.sid.mcet.edu> <CGD.93Apr19235932@eden.CS.Berkeley.EDU> <C5sCvr.3G1@unx.sas.com> <CGD.93Apr20124457@gaia.CS.Berkeley.EDU> <GENE.93Apr21081836@stark.uucp> <1993Apr21.193218.5724@cs.few.eur.nl> <GENE.93A Organization: HCS GmbH, Hamburg, Europe Lines: 87 In <GENE.93Apr22075109@stark.uucp> gene@cs.sunysb.edu!stark (Gene Stark) writes: >I like the name, too. What I would like to see happen is for the patchkit >effort and NetBSD to merge. I am guessing 386BSD 0.2 is going to be so >different that very few people are going to want to use it, so at this point >I am not really even expecting to use that if/when it comes out. Why not have >one main line "Net BSD" system to avoid dilution of effort? Yes! I'm a bit confused, as i see it we now have 4 (F O U R) directions in which 386BSD is splitting: 1/ - 386BSD 0.1 + patchkit 2/ - 386BSD 0.1.5 3/ - NetBSD 4/ - 386BSD 0.2 1/ is running stable, we are slowly getting things done (patchkit, FAQ, etc) but the system runs very stable now. 2/ nothing heard of it but roumors - is it 1/ patched up to the current patch- kit or something different ? 3/ many of the well known supporters of 1/ switched to NetBSD - so 386BSD 0.1 + pk lost their support.... 4/ nothing heard of it but roumors - if it is REALLY so totally different then perhaps few people will like it. I would like something like 386BSD 0.1 + patchkit + shared libs + loadable device drivers, support from EVERYONE (1/ + 2/ + 3/ + 4/) working in the same direction of getting a stable (!), standardized (POSIX) operating system which is not only good for just being an operating system but also for providing a base for some "real world applications". If we had 2 directions (one stable release for "work" and one not-so-stable release for "playing" where getting stable features slowly migrate from play to work) it would be more understandable. I can imagine nothing good from splitting up in 4 directions, 4 patchkits, 4 FAQ's, 4 serial drivers, 4 refrigerator drivers, 4 news hierarchies, 5 types of postings "which is the best OS?", and, and, and ... I would really like everyone is pulling at the same end of the rope. Why is'nt it possible to unite? Proposal: - merge 0.1.5 and NetBSD into "one" NetBSD. - provide a patchkit which will people allow to move from 0.1 + pk to NetBSD - stop any support for 386BSD 0.1 After this we would have Chris + friends working on the stable, working side of 386BSD, being very present and responsive and responsible for the production version with patches, FAQ's etc, on the other side would be 0.2 as a new (incompatibe?) way of an operating system experiment to try out new roads. I'm really not knowing whats going on behind the curtain, but the more this OS is splitting up, the more it will become unimportant. I have the feeling, that all we need is a bit more "official" support - there is no need for weekly releases but there is a need for coordination, representation, and "publicity". As far as i see it, we should learn from Linus being very present in the linux newgroups, everyone reading it knows about the current status of linux, whats going on, who's working on what, when to expect the next release and what it contains. Noone knows what's coming with 0.2, Bill & Lynne are very seldom seen in this newsgroup tree (this is NO flame, Bill & Lynne!) so a newcomer (and not only they) get the feeling that noone cares about the direction 386BSD is going. What is needed is someone or a group of people who is "seen" by everyone and who is responsible for a direction and for coordination. And Chris + friends are much more "seeable" than the creators of 386BSD. On the other side it is good to have some motion in the arena, many people stopped work an all sorts of projects because 0.2 was supposed to come but never came, not even informations if it ever comes or not. still confused, hellmuth -- hellmuth michaelis HCS Hanseatischer Computerservice GmbH hamburg, europe hm@hcshh.hcs.de tel: +49/40/55903-170 fax: +49/40/5591486