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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msunews!agate!overload.lbl.gov!lll-winken.llnl.gov!koriel!male.EBay.Sun.COM!engnews2.Eng.Sun.COM!attaboy!plocher From: plocher@Sun.COM (John Plocher (PADI AI-85274)) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc Subject: Re: BSD CD-ROM : Walnet Creek or Infomagic ? Date: 12 Jan 1995 03:35:25 GMT Organization: Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, CA Lines: 40 Message-ID: <3f281t$3n4@engnews2.Eng.Sun.COM> References: <3e8t0q$gnp@vishnu.jussieu.fr> <3enogm$5l7@fw.novatel.ca> <D2638B.Eut@park.uvsc.edu> <3etolp$2qr6@tiger2.ocs.lsu.edu> <D27p37.1E9@bonkers.taronga.com> Reply-To: plocher@scuba.net NNTP-Posting-Host: attaboy.eng.sun.com X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] : Matthew N. Dodd <mdodd@tiger.lsu.edu> wrote: : >Wait a second! What reason is there to merge NetBSd and FreeBSD? So that the *rest* of the distribution (other than that insignificant /vmunix file itself) wouldn't have to be different. So that someone can produce a *BSD distribution like they do for Linux, without getting ratholed in the kernel wars. So people can work on things that are "more important" than the kernel, like admin tools, cool apps, etc. Right now both of you kernel groups are convinced that the world should revolve around the kernel work you are doing. Somehow, you are proud that there are "differences" between you. None of you really can see that it is the users and application developers who get caught in the middle. Ask Sun how expensive it is to have a user community that is split between different kernel variants. Ask DEC about the Ultrix to OSF transition, or HP about the Domain/HPUX switch. Users don't like these divisions - they would rather go elsewhere than get involved in the transition. The two ends of the scale are painfully obvious: Far Left: Hack everything to be as hardware specific as it can be. After all, "all the world is a VAX^H^H^Hx86" Far Right: Don't allow anything machine specific to soil our code. Least common denominator coding is the rule. While the *BSDs squabble about how pure they are on their end of the scale, Linux seems to be building a comfortable spot right in the middle. (While there is a fair bit of sarcasm and cynicism in this post, I hope a bit of the humor also comes thru. If you still have a raging desire to flame me, please do it thru email) -- John Plocher | PADI | "I've heard that television adds 10 pounds to @ Scuba.Net | DM/AI | your usual body weight. Why and where?