Re: JAVA and ADA JGNAT

[Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-deja.com>]

In article <au9l4.3239$0o4.37770@cmnws01.we.mediaone.net>,
  pmartin@mail.earthlink.net (Pascal F. Martin) wrote:
> In article <86la8r$519$1@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> 	Robert Dewar <robert_dewar@my-deja.com> writes:
> > Actually I think part of what goes on here is that ACT is
> > *more* open than a lot of the Linux and GCC development.
> > [...] The same is true
> > of course for Linux developments at Redhat.
>
> RedHat is _NOT_ developping Linux. Linux is being
> developped by a bunch of individuals and integrated by
> Linus Torvald, an engineer currently employed by Transmeta
> Inc.

Linux is not one product, it is a collection of more or less
compatible products, with a considerable commonality. Redhat
is not developing Linux, they are developing the Redhat version
of Linux, and they work hard to distinguish this so that you
will buy from them and not another Linux developer. If you
really think that a multi-billion dollar company like Redhat
relies entirely on a competitor (Transmeta) to control their
internal development, then you really have a reality model
quite divorced from any reality :-)

Note that for me Linux [more properly GNU/Linux, but perhaps
when talking about Redhat the term Linux is more appropriate]
development is not just about the kernel, it is about the
entire operating environment complete with both free software,
open source, and proprietary tools that are part of this
environment.

If you really think that Redhat is doing no development, then
it is simply because you are unaware of the major development
projects going on at Redhat. All though these are not yet all
open in the sense you mean when you talk about open development,
they are certainly not secret, a visit to the Redhat booth at
the recent Linux Expo in NY is quite enlightening in this
respect.

> RedHat develop a Linux distribution: this is kind of product
> integration work (akin to software editor).

No it is far more than that -- far more.

> It is incredible how even computer science legends like Robert
> can be victim of marketing image and branding.

Actually it is more the case that you are the victim of some
fairy tale view of the world that unfortunately does not
reflect reality. IPO's in the billion dollar range have quite
an interesting effect on the bazarre :-)

> I have to work
> with someone who also believed Linux was a product of RedHat
> and that the HardHat distribution was the "official" version
> of Linux for the embedded market, just because of the name
> match (how clever !).

Well it's *a* version of Linux for the embedded market. Everyone
selling *a* version would like people to believe they have *the*
version (for example, ACT is quite happy if you think that GNAT
is *the* version of Ada 95 :-)


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