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From: pc123@cus.cam.ac.uk (Pete Chown)
Subject: Re: So you say you want an interim release of 386bsd? (What to do?)
In-Reply-To: cgd@eden.CS.Berkeley.EDU's message of 4 May 93 03:25:35
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Date: Tue, 4 May 1993 23:07:19 GMT
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In article <CGD.93May4032535@eden.CS.Berkeley.EDU> cgd@eden.CS.Berkeley.EDU (Chris G. Demetriou) writes:
NetBSD has the same attitude toward GPL'd code as does 386bsd,
and perhaps even a stronger one.
As long as i'm in "control" of NetBSD, there will be:
(1) No GPL'd code in the kernel
(2) No GPL'd code in libc
(3) GPL'd code added to the standard tree only
where no adequate free replacement is presented.
I think this is a shame. To my mind there is no gain in producing a
free operating system for other people to make money out of.
Another, perhaps more important, point is that some of the things
supplied with ***BSD are of low quality, and better alternatives
exist. The reason these alternatives are not used is because they are
under the GPL. I give two examples:
1. The include files seem confused, although the situation has
improved rather of late. Particular problems are experienced when you
try to work with a new version of gcc that has some of its own include
files - the number of clashes are quite surprising. But we can't use
glibc, or the Linux libc, both of which are much better because they
are under the GPL.
2. The DBM library seems most peculiar. Linking programs to it often
seems to give link errors due to non-existent routines.
I don't see what the problem is with the libraries. All the GNU
libraries are under the library GPL, so they can't "infect" other
programs just by them being linked with them.
Perhaps I should start assembling a kit of GNU software that you can
add to your 386BSD implementation...
--
---------------------------------------------+ "A tight hat can be stretched.
Pete Chown, pc123@phx.cam.ac.uk (Internet) | First damp the head with steam
pc123@uk.ac.cam.phx (Janet :-) -+ from a boiling kettle."