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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.mathworks.com!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!news.sprintlink.net!demon!btnet!uunet!news.widomaker.com!escape.widomaker.com!not-for-mail From: shendrix@escape.widomaker.com (Shannon Hendrix) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc Subject: Re: The FreeBSD Project, Inc. (For Profit or Not?) Date: 13 May 1995 11:45:53 -0400 Organization: Escape from Widomaker Lines: 59 Message-ID: <3p2k7h$j4r@escape.widomaker.com> References: <9504240621341239@infoplus.uu.holonet.net> <3nqvvh$62q@bonnie.tcd-dresden.de> <3nuc1h$o80@columbia.acc.brad.ac.uk> <3o8or2$fqj@helena.mt.net> <3ob04j$lsc@agate.berkeley.edu> <3p1300$35b@news.randomc.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: escape.widomaker.com masinter@randomc.com@mail.randomc.com writes: >I am still a "techie" at heart, but have cultivated several small >businesses into sucessful corporations over the past 6 years. The >following opinions are from both a "computer geek" programmer who wants >a technically superior OS, and from a business person who would like to >see an alternative OS grow to be more than a "flash in the pan." This makes a lot of sense and so did some of the rest... but then... >The reason I would never consider linux, is because it is a rag-tag >hodge-podge of donations, without a source for professional support. You post this chunk of crud. It's ironic too because Caldera is doing for Linux exactly what you are saying needs to be done for FreeBSD. Since I like both OS and use both of them things like this just don't make any sense to me. My preference is BSD but Linux outruns it on my hardware and I would have a heck of a time moving all my stuff to FreeBSD right now. Linux may have started as a "rag-tag hodge-podge of donations" but that isn't the case anymore and Caldera is providing a "source for professional support". >Please get over the idea that if you are "for profit" this makes you a >money grubbing, quality assurance-less, purveyor of vaporware. This >"for profit" nature is what will encourage you, and enable you, to >continue your work. No one with a little business education could >condemn you for deciding to incorporate as an S-Corp. This, I truly >believe, is the best chance for FreeBSD to become a preferred platform >in the sea of systems we swim everyday. It is worth noting that one should make sure the company and it's operators do not have exclusive copyright of the operating system. The sources, binaries, etc of Coherent are no longer available to the public because the owners of the now defuct Mark Williams Company still hold the copyrights and now the users are stranded. It would be bad if a company marketed FreeBSD and then folded, keeping the rights to the enhancements done since the company started. Caldera is releasing their improvements to Linux so this won't happen. Only the Novell network support, desktop interface, and some other add-ons are proprietary to Caldera. Now to play devil's advocate, or something like that. Linux was doing just fine before Caldera joined the scene and I don't believe Linux was in danger of going away or slowing down without them. What they have added is a more acceptable image and a focus for development. Oh, and they are providing commercial applications to make Linux a real alternative to crud like Windows, etc. You can say the same for FreeBSD. It's chugging along pretty well and I'm not sure a company is absolutely necessary for it's survival. It could help a lot but it seems like this would need to be done carefully. -- csh --------------------------------------------------------------------------- shendrix@escape.widomaker.com | Linux 1.2.1 / BSD 2.0 http://www.widomaker.com/~shendrix | <<<< UNDER CONSTRUCTION >>>