Chris G Demetriou wrote :
> > An operating system without good, designed interfaces isn't worth the
> > paper it's listed on, to researchers and develoepers, regardless of
> > the number of features it has.

This is the crux of the issue - NetBSD is a research and development
platform, FreeBSD is a users platform.  My fear is that NetBSD, by
adhering strongly to this attitude is condemning itself to always be
on the trailing edge of useability.

> > If you want 'advanced' features incorporated into NetBSD, then:
> > 	(1) integrate them yourself, and make them available for
> > 		comment, etc., and use the feedback you get to improve
> > 		them.

> > 	(2) support the developers.  As far as i know, i'm the _only_
> > 		NetBSD developer who's ever been paid to work on a
> > 		port of NetBSD, and i'm (and you're 8-) lucky that my
> > 		boss lets me work on things that appear irrelevant
> > 		to the port...  Very few of the developers have even
> > 		received hardware to develop things on; it's
> > 		impossible to test, develop, and maintain APM support,
> > 		for instance, unless you have hardware that uses APM.

Well the guys with the real bucks to support developers want to see
some return and they think that they know the best way to get that
return.  Having pimped myself as a professional software engineer for
15 years I know this.  As you say, you're lucky that your boss lets
you do other things, but quite frankly, if he walks in tomorrow and
orders you to put a hack in, if you're smart you're going to do it.
Money is a fact of life...

-- 
Dave Cornejo                                There is nothing so subtle
Fremont, California                                     as the obvious