On 12 Jul, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Wow! Does this offer include updating the AX25 Howto?? :)
(Not a personally directed messsage, just a general gripe)
rant
You know, one of the things that annoys me most about the Amateur
Radio community is that it has almost zero appreciation of one of the
key factors behind the success of Linux - licensing. The AX25-HOWTO is
covered by the GPL, I made that decision, and I made it on purpose. I
wasn't a lamb following behind everybody else, I used the GPL because I
believed it was the appropriate license to use.
The GPL allows you to take the work, use it for whatever you will,
modify it, redistribute it. If anybody has ever wanted to do that with
the AX25-HOWTO, they always could have, they don't need to seek my
permission, I have already granted it for goodness sake.
If the ham community were even half as smart as the majority of the
Linux community, amateur radio would be growing, not dying.
Just working on the software database has been almost enough to put me
off it completely. Just take a look at the variety of licenses with all
sorts of arbitrary restrictions on use, redistribution etc.
Software developers: if you want your software used, then use an open
license that allows people to contribute to it.
Can any of you imagine what Linux would be like if its license were
something like "Computer Hacker use only, no commercial use,
redistribute only in original form". Gad, barely any of you would even
be here to discuss it if it had.
Linux is about "just doing it". Don't talk about it, do it. Do
something, anything, just don't whinge/whine/complain. Contribute, add,
suggest, modify, plan, write, give .. The community isn't here for your
benefit, people do things because they want to do them for their own
reasons, you should do the same. If you don't like the way something
works then find a way of making it work the way you want, or find a
replacement. It's all survival of the fittest. DO DO DO.
It isn't good enough to say you're not a programer, or not a this or
not a that. Do you guys sit on your local repeater saying things like
"Gee, I wish someone would come around and give me a better antenna, I
don't know anything about antennas", or "Gee, I can't help out with
installing the clubs new repeater because I don't know anything about
repeaters" ? Of course not. You know damn well that you can learn if
you want to. Linux/Computers are no different to soldering irons or
pliers in the shack. They're just tools that assist you in doing
amateur radio. To get any benefit from it you need to learn how to use
the tool. The best way to learn is to DO.
Some idea for people who want to actually help:
- Learn shell script. There are heaps of useful things that could be
done in shell script such as scripts to assist in the configuration of
the ax25-utils for example, or other major pieces of software. There are
small scripts that could be usefully deployed and used behind Tomi's
node software for example.
- Write some updates to existing documentation and send them off to
whoever owns the document. At no time has anyone ever actually
submitted an update to the AX25-HOWTO to me. If you know what needs
updating in the HOWTO but don't want to involve yourself in teh
nitty-gritty of dealing with SGML or the LDP then write the changes
that are required and send them to me, or didn't you read that bit in
the HOWTO?
- Write some new documentation. Just a plain text file is heaps better
than nothing as you all no doubt well know. That piece of plain text
could be written by you.
- Test software. Take a piece of software that interests you. Use it and
document, simply, the troubles you have with it and email that to the
*author* of the software. Don't send bug reports to this list, authors
are probably too damn busy to read lists like this, they're probably
already on bundles of others and life is short. Make sure you include
relevant details like the version of the software you are using, the
name and version of the Linux distribution you are running the software
on, and cut'n'pasted sections showing the errors or problems you
encountered.
- Suggest ideas for new software or documentation. Convince others to
help you in working on it and produce them. I'm sure there are lots of
people on the list wanting to do something but just don't have the
ideas that you might have. Your suggested idea might inspire someone to
do something useful.
- Learn about licensing, now theres an interesting idea. Go read the
GPL, think about what it means and why it is like it is. Go read about
OpenSource licensing and why it is like it is. Consider the
differences. Then convince the authors of the software you like of the
benefits to them and all of us, or them changing their licensing terms
to something more free and open.
- Package software for Debian, RedHat, SuSE, insert your favourite
distribution here. If you want Linux used for amateur radio then make
it easy for your peers. Put
