Re: [ilugd] linux-libre kernel. fork?
Niyam wrote: unless, are we supposed to merely agree with all-things linus, the pied-piper on the gates of dawn? Gora Mohanty [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't know how starkly I can say this, but I will try: Linus doesn't owe anyone shit [snip] Well, actually, he does. If he's releasing stuff under GPL he's obliged to ensure it is GPL compatible. Let's keep things in proportion here though. This is stuff that would likely have got resolved done way or the other with clarity in the end. The current alert over this is timely, and is speeding stuff up in a helpful and positive way. I note in passing that much of the disputed code is turning out to be unpopular or BSD licenced anyway (ie GPL compatible) so it looks like the kernel releases will be healthier than ever as a result of this. So the whole issue is IMO very Nietzschean in the sense of if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. PJ ___ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Next Event: http://freed.in - February 22-24, 2008 Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
Re: [ilugd] Pledge to download FF3 on Release Day
ALso, a warning: This is not a bug-fixed release-- but a Release Candidate (RC = Rel Cand..). Hence if you folks do netbanking/credit card payments/mission critical stuff... better to wait for a bug-fixed mature release than to replace a working firefox with a Release-Candidate. I am sorry, but you have got it wrong. No one is celebrating the RC release here, this event will be held when the final version comes out. Its still a while away, and if you pledge to download FF3 (the final version, I repeat) you can help make it a Guiness record. Currently, FF3 is in version 3-RC1. Also note, the pledging process is now fixed, though it might take sometime to show Pledge submitted after you have clicked the button. @Sudhanwa The PoK area on the map is incorrect, and they should have shown it as disputed area. This is a reported issue on the SpreadFirefox forums, but there has been no response from their side yet. Cheers Pratul -- dum vivimus, vivamus 70 72 61 74 75 6C http://pratul.in ___ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Next Event: http://freed.in - February 22-24, 2008 Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
Re: [ilugd] linux-libre kernel. fork?
On Sat, 31 May 2008 06:55:50 + (UTC) PJ [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Niyam wrote: unless, are we supposed to merely agree with all-things linus, the pied-piper on the gates of dawn? Gora Mohanty [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I don't know how starkly I can say this, but I will try: Linus doesn't owe anyone shit [snip] Well, actually, he does. If he's releasing stuff under GPL he's obliged to ensure it is GPL compatible. Huh? How so? You are now making a claim that has not been voiced so far, namely that this is somehow in violation of the GPL. Admittedly without having looked into the details of any of this, I find this hard to believe. At the least, there would be much more of a stink about this, and if it were true, vehement opposition would indeed be in order. Let's keep things in proportion here though. This is stuff that would likely have got resolved done way or the other with clarity in the end. The current alert over this is timely, and is speeding stuff up in a helpful and positive way. Yes, indeed, let us keep things in proportion! My objection was not to the initial alert, but to the implication that it was somehow incumbent on the quote community unquote to take up cudgels on this issue. I will quote Niyam again in that context: On Wed, 28 May 2008 21:49:35 +0530 Linux Lingam [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: [...] apart from PJ and arun, no response yet from the community on this. wow! so much for endlessly and passionately debating value-systems around foss all these years in our mailing lists and ilug-meets and events. [...] (Niyam, I am quite aware that you often use hyperbole as a debating device, and this is *not* personally directed at you.) However, as it stands, the above statement pushes too many of my buttons to go without remark. As I said, the other place that I see such attitudes is from various corporate shills, and it usually goes along the lines of ABC corporation has done a wonderful piece of XYZ open-source work, and therefore the much-lauded community somehow owes them. Again, not to mince words: Screw that! To head off another endless line of arguments, I am not anti-corporate, only against such companies that seek to subvert FOSS to their own ends. And, believe me, Microsoft is hardly the only culprit there. I note in passing that much of the disputed code is turning out to be unpopular or BSD licenced anyway (ie GPL compatible) so it looks like the kernel releases will be healthier than ever as a result of this. So the whole issue is IMO very Nietzschean in the sense of if it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger. I fail to understand how this gels with the rest of your message. I personally read it as the equivalent of oh well, at least the smallpox blankets that we handed out did not kill so many people after all. Or, have you been staring into the abyss too long? Regards, Gora ___ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Next Event: http://freed.in - February 22-24, 2008 Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
Re: [ilugd] linux-libre kernel. fork?
PJ [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Niyam wrote: unless, are we supposed to merely agree with all-things linus, the pied-piper on the gates of dawn? Gora Mohanty [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: snip Guys, am taking the liberty to comment and explain as below. Please feel free to cross-check my facts and counter comment (if you want to!) The reason for the is as below:-- (1) Device Manufacturers often have black-magic happening in the driver code. By black-magic-- I mean, drivers for things like hard-disks etc have stuff like checks for the chip-set version--- by writing a value to a certain port-- and polling till another value can be read--- and using that to decide the version number--- which in turn will be used to set up delays and loop-iterations for busy-wait spin-locks--- optimal values for which are often discovered by trial and error-- through testing and through tech support's solutions to problems to earlier versions of the hardware-- and collected in a manufacturer's bug/solution database-- and used to optimize the next version of the driver. This expensive; highly technical; labour intensive work is often unglamorous to hacker-types. Also, this same work costs the manufacturers a lot of money-- which is necessarily spent to maintain their market position. Further-more documenting a lot of their work would make the manufacturers liable-- to be sued etc... or have the reliability of their peripherals questioned by rivals--- or even possibly have rivals use seemingly open source techies to shred their reputation. Hence, even though many device manufacturers are more than happy to release drivers; and as far as possible help open-source folks developing drivers--- they at the same time make sure their backs are covered-- with respect to the following kinds of issues:-- (1) legal issues (2) trade-secret related issues (3) possible rumour mongering issues (like some supposedly open-source guy claiming that XYZ's hard-disk is least reliable-- based on false arguments). That's why the above partially proprietary type of issues. That's also why manufacturers often issue certain chunks of their code as BLOBs of object-code/machine-language byte sequences instead of c source code. Hope that helps... Regards, N.S ___ ilugd mailinglist -- ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org http://frodo.hserus.net/mailman/listinfo/ilugd Next Event: http://freed.in - February 22-24, 2008 Archives at: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.user-groups.linux.delhi http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd@lists.linux-delhi.org/
