Date: Fri, 09 May 1997 18:36:05 +1200
From: physmsa AT cantua DOT canterbury DOT ac DOT nz (Mr M S Aitchison)
Subject: Back on track... Opendos's Not Unix!
To: opendos AT delorie DOT com
Message-id: <199705090636.SAA28004@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz>
Precedence: bulk

There is a heated discussion going on about whether Unix (especially
Linux) is the best thing since sliced bread or not.  And whether the
unix-like features of case sensitivity and spaces in filesystems is a
plague upon mankind.

I think the conclusion is that OpenDOS isn't unix, but should be capable
of Unix-like features (like spaces in filenames, mixed case), even if the
user is helped away from using such dangerous unDos-like capabilities.

Okay.  But what *is* OpenDOS meant to be?  Who sets its style? its raison
d'art? (pardon mon broken French)

Is anybody official from Caldera actually steering OpenDOS now? Is there
any organisation to it (as there is with Linux and Freedos)?  If we
decide it would be nice to produce four versions of OpenDOS kernels,
is anything Caldera might do in the future going to mess up our plans?
And how do we decide we've agreed on something??

Arrrrrgghhh!! it is all too disorganised.  Linux isn't bound up in
beaurocracy, but it is organised pretty efficiently.  So is just about
every other project that "meets" via the internet (like EmTex, DJGPP).

Can there be:

One official OpenDOS development page, sanctioned by Caldera, with 
links to a bunch of groups' web pages for this and that project? Along
with the web pages would be people who organise the project leaders and
releases of new kernel versions (I'm assuming Caldera want to take
kernels and bundle them the way they take Linux "raw products", but of
course I have no way of knowing what they are thinking/planning).

P.S. Anybody else here also involved in any way with Freedos, or seen their
level of organisation?

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Mark Aitchison, Physics & Astronomy   \_  Phone : +64 3 3642-947 a.h. 3371-225
University of Canterbury,             </  Fax   : +64 3 3642-469  or  3642-999
Christchurch, New Zealand.           /)   E-mail: phys169 AT csc DOT canterbury DOT ac DOT nz
#include <disclaimer.std>           (/'   "where's www.command.com ?"
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