I enjoyed the well-crafted film. But I loathe the false alternative that it presents:
Anyone who can
really code would give his code away and demand that others give their modifications away -- as a matter of "moral" principal, while anyone who would want to profit from software development can't really code and must steal code from real coders, killing them in some cases.
What a load of crap. This movie isn't about open source or about "Evil M$". It's about ignoring real alternatives to this idiotic Holy War. When this film speaks of open source, it's really GPL that is meant (or actually the "moral superiority" embodied by GPL). Try to think of BSD when open source is mentioned. It doesn't fit with the theme.
I'm grateful to everyone who has created so many wonderful things and released them freely, whether as full-functioning shareware, freeware, public domain, BSD, or even GPL or $-ware. The author of any package is the rightful person to decide the terms by which others my use and change it. But to lay claim on all yet uncreated software and demand that it be open source -- as a "moral" imperative -- is a priori theft.
I'll be using Mac OS X for my PowerBook and all my new Macs (server or otherwise). I'll continue using LinuxPPC for all my older PowerMacs, possibly moving to OpenBSD. I'll continue using OpenBSD for all my 68k Macs. I'll be using Linux, BeOS, OpenBSD, and FreeBSD for any Intel or AMD boxes I pick up, if any. Some boxes will dual or triple boot. Why not?
Windows only gets to take a poke at me through VirtualPC.
To anyone who sees a better life elsewhere (no matter where in the world you are now), stop complaining, pack up, and go.
You would be happier.
And if you happen to be someone who's been living in America, voting to make it more like the rest of the world, I would be happier. Just go. Let there remain on Earth one place where one can live, pursuing his own interests, benefitting from his own labors, not interfering with his neighbors, not opening up a vein for the government suck dry, and not forced to be his brother's keeper. If America becomes like the rest of the world, there will be no hope of such a place, ever.
A right is an injunction against others (including the government), an official recognition of freedom. A political right is an injunction against government, exclusively -- the government is forbidden to interfere with your actions as they are described. For example: free speech means the government can't prevent you from voicing your political views; but as your employer, I could damned well decide that you can't use my equipment to broadcast them. Build your own company, buy your own equipment, and spout off all you want.
Getting heard depends on the voluntary cooperation of your audience, and therefore upon your ability to attract their ear. In the political arena, this means having earned access to tools for mass communication. Perhaps your library card has allowed you access to a library computer and here we are, enjoying a heated debate with a limited audience. Or perhaps you've a website you've constructed (or paid to have constructed) that allows you to reach a respectable audience with your ideas. To joust for office, you will likely need to nurture relationships with others who share your political ideals, and who have the means to place your ideas before an interested electorate.
But there's no way in hell you or anyone else is going to have the "right" to be heard as long as I, and others like me, can simply not listen to you.
OpenBSD on Mac68k was much easier for me to install than LinuxPPC on a 7300 or 9500.
Format, partition drive (a Mac volume, a Root&Usr volume, a swap volume = twice memory)
Use bundled Mkfs in Mac OS to reassign and format partitions for BSD
Use menu options in bundled Installer to Build Devices, Install 4 or 5.tgz files (8 or more for X)
Put alias of bundled Booter in Startup Items
Use Booter to set up auto boot (i.e. 10-second delay from app launch)
Boot the thing
Log in as root/no passwd
Read mail from Theo, which clearly explains how to proceed with configuration: type "man afterboot"
read "man afterboot", which tells (in very plain english) how to configure everything and install ssh (in 2.8 this will be part of the standard install, I hear)
Relax knowing that the box is locked down; enjoy watching script kiddies bounce off its nose
Why do I say this is easier? Because the myriad packages presented by LinuxPPC's X-installer are overwhelming, and presented at the wrong time in the process. With OpenBSD you get a clean, secure basic install. Then you can install packages (pkg_add: roughly equivalent to rpm). LinuxPPC, by comparison, has its pants down, its hands duct-taped to its ankles, and an apple in its mouth.
I understand that this is somewhat apples and oranges. OpenBSD doesn't run on PowerPCs as well as on 68ks. And I haven't bothered with the X Window stuff on OpenBSD. In fact, I use LinuxPPC on 3 boxes, too. The X Window/Gnome system sucks on those, too (lots of goofy anomalies and slow-downs). But I don't use any of these boxes for desktop use. They're servers. Mac OS is my desktop OS.
So when Mac OS X releases, sometime in 2005, I'll be ready for it.
I don't subscribe to the notion that these are in opposition to one another. That OpenBSD is not always the answer is very true. But all good things have their purposes. In fact, I use them both in my segmented, handy-man-special, home network:
I haven't had as many years using Linux (only 2) as you have. And aside from that my computer experience amounts to a few mid-'80s semesters of VAXen and the entire life of the Mac platform -- and around 4 months of NetBSD and OpenBSD. But I have to say it (adding BSD to the mix) hasn't been that hard at all. There are many similarities with Linux. Much of your current knowledge will transfer. For anyone who has learned guitar and then tried bass, or ukulele, you've experienced this before.
But I still hope they get OS X (my future home?) right. Must... have... all.
Slashdot Mirror
I'm grateful to everyone who has created so many wonderful things and released them freely, whether as full-functioning shareware, freeware, public domain, BSD, or even GPL or $-ware. The author of any package is the rightful person to decide the terms by which others my use and change it. But to lay claim on all yet uncreated software and demand that it be open source -- as a "moral" imperative -- is a priori theft.
-B...
I'll be using Mac OS X for my PowerBook and all my new Macs (server or otherwise). I'll continue using LinuxPPC for all my older PowerMacs, possibly moving to OpenBSD. I'll continue using OpenBSD for all my 68k Macs. I'll be using Linux, BeOS, OpenBSD, and FreeBSD for any Intel or AMD boxes I pick up, if any. Some boxes will dual or triple boot. Why not?
Windows only gets to take a poke at me through VirtualPC.
-B...
To anyone who sees a better life elsewhere (no matter where in the world you are now), stop complaining, pack up, and go.
You would be happier.
And if you happen to be someone who's been living in America, voting to make it more like the rest of the world, I would be happier. Just go. Let there remain on Earth one place where one can live, pursuing his own interests, benefitting from his own labors, not interfering with his neighbors, not opening up a vein for the government suck dry, and not forced to be his brother's keeper. If America becomes like the rest of the world, there will be no hope of such a place, ever.
-B...
A right is an injunction against others (including the government), an official recognition of freedom. A political right is an injunction against government, exclusively -- the government is forbidden to interfere with your actions as they are described. For example: free speech means the government can't prevent you from voicing your political views; but as your employer, I could damned well decide that you can't use my equipment to broadcast them. Build your own company, buy your own equipment, and spout off all you want.
Getting heard depends on the voluntary cooperation of your audience, and therefore upon your ability to attract their ear. In the political arena, this means having earned access to tools for mass communication. Perhaps your library card has allowed you access to a library computer and here we are, enjoying a heated debate with a limited audience. Or perhaps you've a website you've constructed (or paid to have constructed) that allows you to reach a respectable audience with your ideas. To joust for office, you will likely need to nurture relationships with others who share your political ideals, and who have the means to place your ideas before an interested electorate.
But there's no way in hell you or anyone else is going to have the "right" to be heard as long as I, and others like me, can simply not listen to you.
-B...
OpenBSD for Mac68K
NetBSD for Mac68K
I can't vouch for either of these on PPC. I use Linux on those boxes.
-B...
OpenBSD on Mac68k was much easier for me to install than LinuxPPC on a 7300 or 9500.
Why do I say this is easier? Because the myriad packages presented by LinuxPPC's X-installer are overwhelming, and presented at the wrong time in the process. With OpenBSD you get a clean, secure basic install. Then you can install packages (pkg_add: roughly equivalent to rpm). LinuxPPC, by comparison, has its pants down, its hands duct-taped to its ankles, and an apple in its mouth.
I understand that this is somewhat apples and oranges. OpenBSD doesn't run on PowerPCs as well as on 68ks. And I haven't bothered with the X Window stuff on OpenBSD. In fact, I use LinuxPPC on 3 boxes, too. The X Window/Gnome system sucks on those, too (lots of goofy anomalies and slow-downs). But I don't use any of these boxes for desktop use. They're servers. Mac OS is my desktop OS.
So when Mac OS X releases, sometime in 2005, I'll be ready for it.
-B...
I don't subscribe to the notion that these are in opposition to one another. That OpenBSD is not always the answer is very true. But all good things have their purposes. In fact, I use them both in my segmented, handy-man-special, home network:
OpenBSD for Mac68K (all these were bought for a pittance on eBay):
2 Quadra 700s: transparent firewall (ipf) and 3-legged NAT (ipnat)
Quadra 610: mail server (qmail)
Centris 610 (w/68040): dns server (djbdns)
LinuxPPC: (Bastille'd by using the Sparc trick on the FAQ)
2 7300s: apache and MySQL (soon to be PostgreSQL?)
9500/G3: mol / streaming with videod, icecast (Better choices are welcome.)
Pismo PowerBook: dual boot
I haven't had as many years using Linux (only 2) as you have. And aside from that my computer experience amounts to a few mid-'80s semesters of VAXen and the entire life of the Mac platform -- and around 4 months of NetBSD and OpenBSD. But I have to say it (adding BSD to the mix) hasn't been that hard at all. There are many similarities with Linux. Much of your current knowledge will transfer. For anyone who has learned guitar and then tried bass, or ukulele, you've experienced this before.
But I still hope they get OS X (my future home?) right. Must-B...