Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi!sunc!cis.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!ukma!memstvx1!utkcs2!emory!swrinde!mips!spool.mu.edu!decwrl!ucbvax!hplabs!pyramid!cbmvax!mks Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer Subject: Source to OS (Was Re: Information on Amiga Technical Reference Seri) Message-ID: <22326@cbmvax.commodore.com> From: mks@cbmvax.commodore.com (Michael Sinz) Date: 11 Jun 91 11:35:08 GMT Reply-To: mks@cbmvax.commodore.com (Michael Sinz) References: <21956@cbmvax.commodore.com> <1603@glyph.kingston.ny.us> <1991Jun3.140107.945@csc.canterbury.ac.nz> <1057.284e0dbf@vger.nsu.edu> <91158.110654GHGAQA4@cc1.kuleuven.ac.be> <1062.2853935b@vger.nsu.edu> mykes@amiga0.SF-Bay.ORG (Mike Schwartz) writes: >In article <1062.2853935b@vger.nsu.edu> manes@vger.nsu.edu ((Mark D. Manes), Norfolk State University) writes: >>In article <91158.110654GHGAQA4@cc1.kuleuven.ac.be>, GHGAQA4@cc1.kuleuven.ac.be (Tyberghein Jorrit) writes: >>>>I am glad that you put a smiley on the end. The last thing we need is >>>>apublic domain version of the kernal. In fact, I am against Commodore >>>>releasing the SOURCE CODE to the operating system. That would be a >>>>complete disaster. >>> >>> Please explain what is so bad about releasing the source code ? I >>> don't see your point. In addition to the disaster (see below), why should we release to the public part of the secrets that make the Amiga what it is? Why should we "give away" the many hundreds of thousands of hours of work and design that C= has paid for and is hoping makes the Amiga a better machine than many of the others? >>Releasing source code would create a nightmare for Commodore and their >>dealers. Consider the possibility of a friendly persoon putting out >>a hacked version of the operating system and it becoming semi-popular. >>What should Commodore do? Adopt it? How would Commodore support it? >>Would it still be owned by Commodore? What is a dealer to do when >>he orders software for the Amiga? Does he make sure it just runs on >>Commodore's operating system or the more popular 'hacked' AmigaDOS? >>How can Commodore create new machines? Will Commodore need to get >>permission from the authors of the hacked operating system to support >>it? If they don't support it, will Commodore have to put up with >>tons and tons of messages from usenet saying that they were idiots >>for not including the 'obvious enhacements' that the hack provided? This is only part of the reason... >The intent of publishing source code isn't so people can make better >versions, although it might be a neat school project :) Ever have >a question like, "Does RectFill() use QBlit()?" Well, the answer can >be found in the code (or you can bug folks on the net with the question... :) Ah, but if your code works correctly, you should not care. Not only that, but if we need to change the OS, you better not care. Here is where a major reason comes from. Imagine if, by looking at the source you saw some side-effect of a routine and the started to count on it. (For example, the form of code used to RectFill()) Now, as we get either new hardware or a better way to do a RectFill(), we change RectFill() to work as documented only under the new method/hardware/etc. What happens when you break? Is it our fault? No. Do we get the blame; bad press; flames? Yes. Do we like this? *NO* >If you buy MacNosy (for the Mac), you can get a wide variety of annotated >"sources" for the Mac ROMs (and they've been around for years), yet nobody is >selling or hacking on the OS (except AMax :) or selling a variation... Ah, but is this from Apple or did some 3rd party disassemble the ROM and add his own comments? Also, you may note that Apple does not take too kindly to this sort of operation but they have rather little recourse. /----------------------------------------------------------------------\ | /// Michael Sinz - Amiga Software Engineer | | /// Operating System Development Group | | /// BIX: msinz UUNET: rutgers!cbmvax!mks | |\\\/// Programming is like sex: | | \XX/ One mistake and you have to support it for life. | \----------------------------------------------------------------------/