Subject: Re: ascii dump for tcpdump (was Re: truss-like command for netbsd)
To: Simon J. Gerraty <sjg@quick.com.au>
From: Allen Briggs <briggs@canolog.ninthwonder.com>
List: current-users
Date: 10/12/1998 11:45:13
> In fact I sent the patches to LBL first - who gave that reason.  So I
> PR'd them incase anyone in NetBSD land wanted them - they were
> rejected for the same reason (or more correctly as you've pointed out
> because LBL didn't want them).

Is this a valid reason for NetBSD not including or supporting the
patches?  It seems to add a useful feature to tcpdump.  One that has
at least as much potential use as for abuse.  Looking at the source,
it appears that tcpdump was updated once in the last 3.5 years.  I
can't imagine that the patches to add an ascii dump are _that_ large
or invasive, and I can't see that they'd cause significant conflicts
on a merge.  The copyright certainly doesn't have anything in it that
would prevent NetBSD from maintaining a modification, either.  If the
patches are submitted to LBL and rejected, that's their choice--I don't
see how that makes the choice for NetBSD (although it certainly should
be considered, it shouldn't be a reason in itself).

-allen

-- 
                    Allen Briggs - briggs@ninthwonder.com