[nycbug-talk] Request for Review, Summary of FreeBSD src fetching problems

[Brett Wynkoop]

On Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:55:08 -0500
Brian Callahan <bcallah at devio.us> wrote:

> On 2/14/2013 12:38 PM, Jesse Callaway wrote:
> > Create your own SVN mirror and host it somewhere.

SNIP

> You need to extrapolate his problem outward. Even assuming that
> solves his particular case, do you really want to "official" solution
> to be "go host your own server elsewhere, deal with all the hassles
> of chasing HEAD, maintain svn (which he says he doesn't want to do!),
> etc., etc."?
> 
> ~Brian
> 

Brian is correct, while what you propose might work it is not
reasonable.  Am I to tell each client that has FreeBSD installed that
they need to set up a special update server and maintain that to allow
for grabbing the sources.  Nope.

I am dealing with similar issues on a development project at work where
the hard core programming staff thinks it is nothing to change what is
required of sys-admins to install our product.  My first install of the
product in it's new form required 3 developers to help me over a period
of several weeks before the product was installed and functional in my
lab.  Needless to say I yelled and screamed which lead to folks above
me saying,  "Wynkoop has a point, we better figure out how to make it
as easy as it used to be"....that we turned into "Brett how about
figuring it out and circulate your solution to dev for feedback".  

The FreeBSD project needs to worry about mindset and market share just
like a for profit software operations or we will lose users, financial
supporters and eventually developers because even if we have the best
kernel or the greatest smp or superpages, or ZFS or
BIG_MAGIC_OF_SOME_SORT people have only so much willingness to deal
with pain.  I am nearing the end of my pain tolerance with FreeBSD, I
am sure I am not the only one.

Jesse I assure you I can come up with HACKENSTEIN solutions to the
problem, but the point is that a good general solution needs to happen
for the entire community of users, large and small.

-Brett

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