From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,ac39a12d5faf5b14 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-04-17 10:58:20 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!postnews1.google.com!not-for-mail From: dennison@telepath.com (Ted Dennison) Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Development process in the Ada community Date: 17 Apr 2002 10:58:20 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com/ Message-ID: <4519e058.0204170958.22f797c4@posting.google.com> References: <3CB94312.5040802@snafu.de> <4519e058.0204150645.62003096@posting.google.com> <3CBCEB15.E104D1F5@adaworks.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 65.115.221.98 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: posting.google.com 1019066300 8268 127.0.0.1 (17 Apr 2002 17:58:20 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: 17 Apr 2002 17:58:20 GMT Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:22666 Date: 2002-04-17T17:58:20+00:00 List-Id: Richard Riehle wrote in message news:<3CBCEB15.E104D1F5@adaworks.com>... > Ted Dennison wrote: > > > I would submit that this is because the "release it to the public > > domain" step was never followed through on. If they had done that > > first, instead of planning on doing it last, things might have been > > different. > > And who was going to pay Randy and RR Software for their effort in > developing CLAW? It is all well and good to want free software, That's not the issue. Its *an* issue of course, but not the one being discussed. The issue is how something can become "standard". I can only see two ways: 1) It is distributed with every appropriate compiler (either by fiat or agreement). Examples of this are the standard Ada libraries, and the Win32Ada bindings. Let us not forget that the Win32Ada bindings are indeed the *standard* low-level Win32 bindings. No one's been talking about them because low-level bindings are so yucky that no one really wants to use them. Let us also not forget that the Win32Ada bindings were created by Intermetrics, a company that, like RR, is in the business of selling licenses to proprietary software (or at least was at the time). 2) It is released freely, and is so wonderful compared to the alternatives that everyone who wants to do that kind of thing goes out and downloads it. Now perhaps you are saying that creating a standard is incompatable with making a profit. I'm not really qualified to answer that, but I somehow doubt that's the case. > benefit. Even GNAT will disappear if ACT discovers there is > no financial reward in supporting it. That is wrong. ACT does not own Gnat. Its source copyrights are held by the FSF, and it is now part of the gcc baseline. As long as gcc is around, Gnat will be around. > powerful set of capabilities. I suspect Randy would not turn down > any offer of help in developing additional packages to extend the > CLAW software. I'm sure he wouldn't. What I'm missing here is what's in it for *me*. I have no interest in helping to improve some company's proprietary product, unless I am paid to do so. (and frankly I have plenty of paying work on my plate at the moment already. I'm not interested in taking on any more.) I certianly do some volunteer work that involves using, and perhaps improving, Windows bindings. However, I do that for the good of the community, not any one party's private good (that's why its called "volunteer" work). I've dealt with RR before, and they seemed like a great company, and great guys. If there were true justice in the universe I'm sure they'd be swimming in cash by now. But I just can't convince myself that their stockholders are a worthy enough cause to become the primary benificiary of my volunteer efforts. I'd rather donate time on something that everyone in the (Ada) community can use, not just the select few to whom some company deigns to grant a license. -- T.E.D. Home - mailto:dennison@telepath.com (Yahoo: Ted_Dennison) Homepage - http://www.telepath.com/dennison/Ted/TED.html