Message-ID: <8D53104ECD0CD211AF4000A0C9D60AE3015CAC57@probe-2.acclaim-euro.net> From: Shawn Hargreaves To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com Subject: Re: Can we vote on letting RSXNTDJ rest in peace? Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 15:42:48 +0100 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.0.1460.8) Content-Type: text/plain Reply-To: djgpp AT delorie DOT com Johan Venter writes: >>> I say we boycot RSXNTDJ and refer anyone who asks about it in the >>> future to Mumit Kahn's distribution of Mingw32. >> >> You cannot boycot free software. It doesn't work. > > OK, I may have jumped the gun a bit there. I got a bit carried away. > My apologies. > > I have, however, emailed Rainer and I eagerly await his reply. I don't understand why you would think that any problems with RSXNTDJ need to be complained about to Rainer, or that it should be withdrawn from distribution. IMHO this idea is missing the whole point of how/why free software development works... Rainer put this package together because he was interested in it, and thought it was a fun or useful thing to work on. Then he distributed it on the net, because that's what free software authors do. But this doesn't mean he has to go on maintaining it after he has lost interest or found other more interesting things to do, and it certainly doesn't mean that the package can or should ever be withdrawn from the net: that would be an impossible thing to do, even if there was a good reason for it, which I don't think there is. Personally, I've never used RSXNTDJ for serious work, but when I tried it once it did create working win32 programs without any hassle. Other people say that there are some difficulties with it, in which case they are of course welcome to use something else instead: nobody is forcing anything onto anyone. If you are aware of ways that RSXNTDJ could be improved, the best thing to do would be to make these fixes. Talk to Rainer first to get his permission, and then if he really has lost interest in the package, you can take over the maintenance of it in his absence. Or if you don't want to use RSXNTDJ at all, by all means go off and use something else instead. It doesn't hurt you that RSXNTDJ should still exist, so there is no reason for you to complain about it if it doesn't do what you need. Be happy with Mingw32 if that is what you prefer... Shawn Hargreaves.