Re: BK kernel workflow

Buddy Lucas
2004-10-27T18:14:02Z

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 21:18:14 -0700, Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 26, 2004 at 08:00:18PM -0700, Linus Torvalds wrote:
> > Larry can tell you that we've discussed the BK license in private, and he
> > definitely knows that I'd really like for it to be an open source license.
> > But I also suspect that Larry will tell you that I haven't been whining
> > about it - I've been trying to come up with ways it could work out for
> > him, considering that he's got employees to take care of, and I haven't
> > been able to come up with anything that would convince him. Fair enough.
>
> We (BitMover) wrestle with this all the time, or at least I do. I think
> that the set of people on this list have no idea how painful it has
> been for me to do what we have done. I started out as one of you and
> liked it that way. I saw a problem, Linus needed a tool, and I saw a
> solution, I could give him that tool. So far, so good. But the effort
> required to produce that tool cost a lot of money. So I had to start

Open Source projects produce excellent tools too. But I'll take your
word for it that there was no other way. The thing is, and I'm afraid
that many among your criticasters do not get this -- even with Linus
saying it over and over again: trying to refrain people from using the
software they want to use has nothing to do with freedom.

BK's license, the language used to write it, Larry's face, or all of
the above, are absolutely *no* justification for the way some of you
come down on Larry. If you think the BK license interferes in a bad
way with Linux development and you can back it up with solid reasoning
or facts, you might have a point and you should speak up (or start
coding)-- probably using another soapbox, by the way. And drop the
attitude.

Otherwise, what tools other people use is no business of yours. If
that thought bothers you, rethink whether you are really part of a
community that cares deeply about freedom.

Larry, thanks for what's obviously a great piece of software.

Cheers,
Buddy