Re: Can you all please stop?
Andrew McGlashan <andrew.mcglashan@affinityvision.com.au> writes:
> If upstream is the problem, then they need lobbying; just accepting what
> upstream does is a very serious problem
I think this is an interesting statement. Personally, I would turn it on
its head.
I believe that the core, beautiful, exciting thing that we do inside
Debian, and that any other excellent Linux distribution does, is exactly
accepting what upstream does. Not accepting in the sense of passive
apathy, but in the sense of wholehearted embrace of upstream's ideas,
expertise, passion, and hard work, and finding a way to incorporate that
into our distribution. Acceptance in the sense of reaching out with both
hands and taking hold of the gift we are given with a firm grasp and a
grateful heart.
Linux distributions are *all about* upstreams. Those upstreams are the
reason why we're here. Those upstreams are the reason why Linux is
something with a name that we can all use. Those upstreams are individual
people with a passion for some specific problem, who have dug into that
problem and thought hard about it and produced the best solution to that
problem that they can think of and implement. They are our friends, our
colleagues, our benefactors. A lot of people who work on distributions
are generalists who are very good at plugging together lots of disparate
parts. Foxes. A lot of upstreams are people who have worked really hard
on one big thing. Hedgehogs. Foxes make the work of hedgehogs usable by
everyone else, as part of a coherent and hopefully easy-to-use whole.
Accepting what upstream does is not a bug. Accepting, not thoughtlessly
but thoughtfully and openly, respectfully and with passion and care, what
upstream does is an act of gratitude, support, and friendship that helps
weave our community together into something that's more than the sum of
its parts.
> This is a very real issue that will drive many away from Linux and
> looking to alternatives, myself, that may end up being kFreeBSD, but if
> that doesn't get the blessing of the Jessie release team ... then I've
> got to consider going directly to FreeBSD as a real alternative.
FreeBSD is a great community, and this isn't a competition. If that
community would make you happy, then by all means you should join it!
Follow your heart and do what you love.
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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