[csw-users] Active discussion about open source software for Solaris

[Dennis Clarke]

ALL :

    There is an active and vibrant discussion ongoing within the
 OpenSolaris project that addresses the issue of open source software
 packages for Solaris and the Companion CD in particular.  The
 discussion has been heated at time and possibly even outright
 inflammatory.

    My concern is that the community here be aware of this discussion and I
ask that you get involved if you can.  There is a vast array of talent
here and there is a distinct possibility that we can provide input that
will help the entire Solaris user base.

    This is a very good thing and its a discussion that is long overdue.

    Dennis Clarke


=========== Example post to the OpenSolaris mail list ============
> Dennis Clarke writes:
>> > On 4/13/06, Dennis Clarke <dclarke at blastwave.org> wrote:
>> >> > Dennis Clarke wrote:
>> >> >>> Dennis Clarke wrote:
>>
>>
>>    I blatantly disagree with the creation of yet another separate
>>    project that completely replaces services and processes that
>>    already exist ...
>
> Where, then, would be the right place to discuss the sorts of issues
> that the use of open source software on Solaris raises?

  https://lists.blastwave.org/mailman/listinfo

  If you do not see the list that is right then one will be created.

> For instance, we have the interesting issue of what to do when some
> open source package becomes a fundamental part of Open Solaris itself.
> There are many such examples to look at -- libtecla, tcp_wrappers,
> OpenSSL.

  These packages need to be created in such a fashion that they work
  smoothly with every supported current release of Solaris on all
  supported architectures with the posibility for expansion into
  other architectures.  PowerPC for example.

  Solaris 8 is still shipping and very much supported.

  We need to look at each of the current releases and determine how
  each to proceed.  That is beyond the scope of this discussion
  and should be had in a mail list dedicated to the topic and
  within the boundaries of a project focused on delivering open
  source software to ALL Solaris users on supported architectures
  past and present.  See the lists above.

> What should be done about that?  Should this other consolidation
> (whether it's Blastwave, something else, or even both) continue to
> deliver those same bits?  What technical issues arise in doing so?

  Also beyond the scope of this thread but perfectly reasonable in a
  list such as users at lists.blastwave.org or some new list that you
  feel needs to be created.

> What packages should be migrated over and treated as parts of the
> system?  I don't doubt that we've missed the boat here, and that there
> are common parts that "everybody" installs.  Do we have a plan for
> them?

  The only plan that we had was to create everything from scratch
  with the exception of a few SUNW packages and put them all into
  the /opt/csw tree regardless if the software title already existed
  in the wos in the Solaris product.  Since the Solaris Community was
  excluded from discussions about what goes into the Solaris product
  then the only reasonable course of action was to "fork" and start
  over from scratch.  Years ago.  Hence the massive pile of libs
  that exist in the CSW software tree at Blastwave.  All integrated
  to work with each other and tested continually.

> I think it'd be great to have a place to discuss all this.

  See the lists server I mentioned above.  The Solaris Community
  built the list server on quad CPU Enterprise class Sun hardware.

> I don't have a stake in this -- I don't really care whether the answer is
> Blastwave, sunfreeware, companion CD, or anything else -- other than
> seeing that the Open Solaris community looks at the problem seriously.

  The problem was looked at seriously.  As serious as cancer.

  The only course of action at the time was to start from scratch and
  create everything we needed in /opt/csw.

> If all it ends up doing is recommending some existing solution, I'd be
> thrilled.

  Any existing solution is insufficient to address the needs of all the
  existing Solaris revs and certainly do not address ALL the needs of
  future releases.  OpenSolaris distros also need to be given support
  although they may choose to do _anything_ .

  As I have said over and over now, the Solaris Community has existed
  for a long long time and needed to address serious problems with the
  existing closed processes.  The doors are always open.

-- 
Dennis Clarke