Subject: Diversification of development Date: Mon, 11 Nov 1991 23:56:40 +0100 From: blum@cip-s01.informatik.rwth-aachen.de (Robert Blum)
Hello Linuxers!
Sorry for my last mail being very short, but writing mail at 300 baud *IS*
a pain. Now, there are a couple of things to be adressed.
1) Linux is undergoing a process of being spread across several countrys/
FTP-servers. I recently read in a posting: If you want the blah binaries,
just connect to the foo-server, etc.
To keep a common environment for Linux, especially now where it is still
say a bit more than beta, I'd suggest using a common set of tools. It
is a pain to search a bug in the kernel which is only caused by a
different cpp or else. To create this set of common tools, I am offering
the following to the Linux-community:
Everyone who creates a new binary and makes it/the sources to it available
to the net (via FTP) sends mail to me.
I then take these things (sources and/or binaries) and make them available
on tupac-amaru in a directory called beta. If the Linux community
likes these tools (discussion on this list ?), I will move them to
other subdirectories based on the subject. If the tools are replaced by
better ones/ prove as not useful for the whole community, they will
vanish from the server.
If you would like such a service or want it organized in another way or
anything else, just send mail to me or linux-activists for public
discussion. If the keepers(?) of the other two or three servers are
willing to provide this service too, we could exchange. (Less work
for me, more for you:-).
BTW,arl: The things I said about nic (NO MORE NIC PLEASE,etc.) weren't
meant as a flame. You *ARE* doing a very good job there. But I just
didn't know you were undergoing some reorganization, and I never have
more than 1K/s to nic funet.fi.
OK, feel free to mail me about the whole thing
2) I want to remind you about the Questions for a FAQ: What would you like
to see?
3) Header-Files: I like the idea with /usr/include/classic and /usr/include/ansi
with small files in /usr/include. If you like this too, I would start to
work on it. (In fact, half of the work has already been done for making
it possible that c386 compiles itself). Please mail, if you like this.
Hey Linus, what do you think ?
Another thing to suggest is defining a macro ARGS(x)
#if __STDC__
#define ARGS(x) (x)
#else
#define ARGS(x)
#endif
and declaring functions with
void function(ARGS(int x,int y,...));
This would keep the amount of work smaller for changes in the includes.
I personally prefer this even to /classic and /ansi because it's just
one readable file.
OK, Comments are welcome. As soon as the header files are ready, I will
make them and the c386-sources and binaries available on tupac-amaru
4) Who is working on what? Could we please start to compile a list?
I am currently working on
include-files classic style
c386
making Linux compileable with c386
Please mail, I'll compile the answers
OK, this was a long mail and I think it's enough for this time.
Hopefully wawaiting your comments and answers,
Robert Blum