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From: waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org (Fred 'The Rebel' van Kempen)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: comp.os.minix splitup
Message-ID: <9103211978@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org>
Date: 21 Mar 91 16:58:08 GMT
References: <2043@Terra.cc.brunel.ac.uk>
Organization: MicroWalt Corporation, for MINIX Software Development
Lines: 60

eesrajm@cc.brunel.ac.uk (Andrew J Michael) wrote:
> It seems that the idea to split the group into CPU types has died a
> death, thankfully.  On the grounds of compatability this is a good
Yes, :-)

> thing, IMHO.  We already have people re-inventing the wheel because
> the PC people don't know that the ST people have already done it, and
> vice versa.  (Two examples of this are format and virtual screens, in
> case anyone is wondering).  I'd like to see MINIX reach the same state
> as most Unixes where the underlying hardware is pretty well irrelevant.
> MINIX 1.5 was a good move in this direction - let's keep it that way and
> not move apart again, please.
That's what we call the Unification Project here; we are doing this with
Advanced MINIX right now.  The next Advanced MINIX will be unified completely.

> This leaves the question of splitting the newsgroup on source and non-source 
> lines.  As I see it, the proposal to split the group is because some people
> don't like seeing all the "Where can I buy MINIX" articles.  I agree
> that they can be a pain sometimes, but what happens if all the 'serious' MINIX
> people only look at the sources group ?  Will all the enquirers just be 
> ignored ?
> 
> I'm sorry, but I don't see that the traffic is anywhere high enough to justify a
> split at present.

I am in complete agreement, despite my previous message.

I am an archiver myself, so it sometimes is a bother to find the sources
between the lines of junk discussions.  However, this news group is not
_that_ heavy anymore (in terms of traffic), so it does not really cause
me any problems..

Also, and that is more important to me, I want to keep up with ALL develop-
ments in the MINIX field.  A splitup would definitely cause many wheels to
be re-invented, as Andy said above.

Ergo:	(1)	A _system_ based splitup is unwanted.
	(2)	A _sources_ based splitup is (yet) unneeded.

However, it is a free world (not quite, but we're working on it :-), so
IF there is going to be any splitup at all, I vote for a sources-and-
patches based one, with a name of comp.os.minix.code or ~software.

Fred.
--
MicroWalt Corporation, for MINIX Development	waltje@uwalt.nl.mugnet.org
Tel (+31) 252 230 205, Hoefbladhof  27, 2215 DV  VOORHOUT, The Netherlands
> 
> 
> Andy Michael
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Andy Michael                                     "You might think that.  I
> 85 Hawthorne Crescent                             couldn't possibly comment."
> West Drayton					    - `House of Cards'
> Middlesex            email: eesrajm@brunel.ac.uk                             
> UB7 9PA           or Andrew.Michael@brunel.ac.uk
> 
>