On Fri, 5 May 2000, Ian McKellar wrote:
> On Thu, May 04, 2000 at 09:39:32PM +0100, James Sutherland wrote:
> > On Thu, 4 May 2000, Jim Driscoll wrote:
> >
> > > > What interests me, though, is why people keep suggesting that
> > > > forcing MS
> > > > to go open source would be the ideal punishment. Since when
> > > > was releasing
> > > > your OS source code a punishment? :-)
> > > >
> > > > I am surprised too. I never suggest anyone should "go open source",
> > > > neither as a punishment or for any other reason.
> >
> > I'd be interested to know why Richard doesn't encourage people to publish
> > their source code, personally...
> >
> Because simply making source code available doesn't do anyone any good. If
> Microsoft's software was made free (libre) then I think that would be a
> different matter.
Simply publishing the source (provided they aren't allowed to slap an NDA
on it, or anything like that) would help significantly with Windows. I was
talking about Richard's statement "I never suggest anyone should 'go open
source'".
> Empracing an extending Bob Young's analogy in his recent defense of Free
> Software (http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2560523,00.html), a
> proprietary application is like a car with the hood welded shut. Free
> software is like car hoods as we know them. Simply publishing the source code
> under a non-free license is like having a car with a perspex hood - thats
> welded shut (don't ask me how to weld perspex).
You can weld perspex, I think. Anyway: if all I want to do is look at the
source, why does it matter either way?
I wasn't really thinking in terms of Microsoft putting their CVS tree on
the Net, and starting up a "nt-kernel" mailing list for the public to join
in writing Service Pack 247 for them. In this case, what really matters is
*documenting* everything. Microsoft adopting an open source development
model isn't really the aim here.
James.
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