Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!convex!datri
From: datri@convex.com (Anthony A. Datri)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re: You get what you  pay for!
Message-ID: <103824@convex.convex.com>
Date: 11 Jul 90 15:45:16 GMT
References: <9007101436.AA24092@mail-gw.ncsl.nist.gov>
Sender: news@convex.com
Organization: Convex Computer Corporation; Richardson, TX
Lines: 48

>   |People who advocate free software have NO idea how critical
>   |quality is!

They do know, but they sometimes have a misguided idea of what "quality"
actually is.

>I go out of my way to use some free software, like GNU Emacs and GNU
>CC, because of the quailty.

The "quality" of those two is one reason why I go out of my way to *not* use
them.  GNUmacs is huge beyond belief, and this dump/undump stuff and the
bizarre entry point seem to preclude the use of shared libraries to help
reduce it to a normal size.  There's code (in 18.55) that senselessly
no-ops the -fg and -bg switches if your X server isn't >2 bits deep, and
the makefile installs an unstripped, -g compiled binary with 777 protections.
I have a hard time being impressed with this "quality".

>  The release notes for X11R4 recommend
>using GNU CC to commpile X on a VAX or 680x0 processor for up to a
>factor of 2 improvement in performance.

I've seen so many people have problems with using gcc to build things,
*especially X*, that I won't use it at all.  If it worked reliably, I might
feel differently.

>probably some of the better commercial grade software.)  If I find a
>bug in free GNU software, I have the source, I can try to fix it if
>necessary, if someone else hasn't already.

True enough.

>  When I find a bug in Sun
>software, I call Sun (I payed for software suport--actually the
>taxpayers did) and they tell me that they know about the bug and it
>will be fixed in the next release in a few months or a year.

You've actually had better luck with that than I have -- I've had problems
even getting them to acknowledge problems.

>You get what you pay for.  I bought some composted manure for my
>garden, I payed for manure and that's what I got.

All too often, you get what you pay for, and all too often you don't.  I
think that freely-redistributable software is great, and I use a lot of it.
X11 and company are great achievments, for example.  I am turned off by
the gnu attitude, though, which is the primary reason why I avoid their
products.
--