On 6 Dec 1999, Michael Graff wrote:

> (1)  When looking at a possible solution to a problem, for instance
>      /etc/rc vs. /etc/init.d/, don't reinvent the wheel.  Pick
>      something someone else already does, and use it.  Doing things
>      our own way will only hurt us here.

Well, it's certainly helped NetBSD as far as I'm concerned, and I
suspect a number of NetBSD users are with me here. Most Linux
distributions didn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to scripts
for system startup, and that SysV runlevel thing keeps me miserable
to this day when I have to use Linux systems. If NetBSD started in
the same direction, I'd be looking to switch to a new OS.

Driving away current users in the hope of gaining new users does
not seem to be a very productive strategy.

>      In other words, we need to market ourselves.

This is hardly a new observation. And your next one after this is
the same: `why aren't we marketing?'

In fact, we are. (Charles Hannum has been pushing this pretty hard
lately, and producing what I consider to be some notable successes.)
But vague complaints aren't going to do anything for our current
marketing effort. Best would be if you went and did something to
help the marketing, such as manning a booth at a trade show. Good
would be if you'd at least come up with a list of concrete things
that need to be done, and how they would help us, and co-ordinate
volunteers who wish to work on those items. But please, `we need
marketing' is neither a new nor a useful refrain.

cjs 
--
Curt Sampson  <cjs@cynic.net>   917 532 4208   De gustibus, aut bene aut nihil.
The most widely ported operating system in the world: http://www.netbsd.org