[ On Sun, November 23, 1997 at 14:02:36 (-0800), Gerald C. Simmons wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: floppy controller tape devices?
>
> > Jukka Marin <jmarin@pyy.jmp.fi> writes:
> > 
> > I think one thing that many people here forget is that this is mostly
> > volunteer work.  Most don't get paid for what work they put into
> > NetBSD, so whatever goes in is what they are interested in working on.
> 
> Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought both the Linux and Free-BSD
> projects were also volunteer work. Why does that give us the right to NOT
> support something and call it CRAP!

Doing volunteer work is exactly what does give us the right to call
something what it is.  It's getting paid that prevents this freedom.

The other beauty about volunteer projects is that you get to work on
what you want, so if you want to support junky hardware, then you're
free to work on it, and just the same if you want to work on antiques
like VAXen and Sun-3's then you can do that too.

Sure it might not look nice to shoot someone down for a stupid hardware
purchase decision, though in this case I don't think there was any
pleading going on -- just an innocent question about device support.
I.e. now everyone reading this thread is more than aware of what is
generally thought of certain classes of low-end hardware.

However one of the many reasons some of us like working with NetBSD is
that we don't mind seeing things labelled for what they are.  For
example I don't really think most PC hardware is worth its weight in
sand when you're standing on the beach, but since NetBSD does well at
supporting all kinds of non-PC hardware I'm not going to begrudge it for
also supporting PCs.

Note that mixed in with the general disdain for low-end hardware were a
few curious souls offering to poke at it just for fun.  If NetBSD is
going to support any particular piece of hardware it'll only be because
either some volunteer is willing, able, and interested; or if someone
with money in their pocket is willing to fund a project and return the
results to the community, and is able to find someone to take the pay.

-- 
							Greg A. Woods

+1 416 443-1734			VE3TCP			robohack!woods
Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>; Secrets Of The Weird <woods@weird.com>