> On Tue, 23 Nov 1999, Frank da Cruz wrote:
> > I think one solution might be that each "free Unix" "product", like
> > NetBSD, creates a C-Kermit install package in its own native format (RPM
> > or whatever), and this platform-specific install package is allowed to go
> > on the FTP sites and free software CDROMs, since it is, after all, the
> > same package that goes out with the base product (NetBSD in this case).
> 
> Er, kermit is not part of base NetBSD.
>
Right, included with base NetBSD.  Accompanies base NetBSD -- whatever the
right words are.

> Right now, it's "only" one of many
> programs that can be shaped into a "platform-specific install package"
> with our build system. This shaping can be done by everyone, not limited
> to "us" NetBSD developers as "we" may not have access to a specific
> hardware platform or OS version that the binary is needed for.
> 
> (What we have right now is something like a RPM "spec" file, if that helps
> to make things clear. No SRPM, we don't distribute the source!).
> 
You distribute only binaries in your packages?  Either way is fine with me.
(I confess, I have not had time to learn about all the packaging formats and
issues...)  But it is OK to put source in the package if you want to.

> > The key phrases here are "free Unix" (as opposed to Solaris, HP-UX, AIX,
> > etc) and "platform-specific package" (as opposed to the general-purpose
> > tarball).
> 
> OK, so:
>  - we can put up compiled binaries of kermit
>
Yes.

>  - we can NOT put up source for people's convenience 
>
I am suggesting that you can put up source too if it's in some kind of NetBSD
package format like RPM, whatever you use.  Maybe I'm just not understanding
this package business very well...  Anyway, I'm trying to find a solution that
will work for both of us.

>  - compiled binaries can be distributed on "our" official CDs
>
Yes.

>  - compiled binaries can be distributed on NetBSD CDs made by
>    3rd parties, given that the primary goal of that is to distribute
>    kermit only as one of may pieces of software, not an integral part
>    of that CD.
>
Yes.

> What about
>  - can anyone else put up compiled binaries of kermit, e.g. because
>    noone else can generate these binaries for this certain OS version
>    or hardware platform (think of new platforms NetBSD is ported to)
>    (really, we don't have means & matters to prevent this, but I'd just
>    like to know...)
> 
Sure, but obviously we (the Kermit Project) have the right to add the binaries
to our own ftp site; this is what we have been doing for many years.  To
illustrate, the current C-Kermit 7.0 Beta has about 170 binaries; I made about
80 of them myself, and the rest were sent in by other people who have access
to platforms I can't reach.

And of course we like to have patches back from people who needed to make
them, so we can maintain a single master source for everybody.  This is not a
legal issue, just common sense, to prevent forking.

- Frank