[wplug] Anyone else read the NetBSD article?

[Vance Kochenderfer]

Greg Simkins wrote:
> The writer seems to hold up Linux as a model of strong leadership. 

The leadership style for Linux has certainly been effective.  I don't
think that one can extrapolate from this that a benevolent
dictatorship is the only successful structure for an open source
project.  The Apache and Mozilla projects are two successful examples
of different structures.

> Is it not true that Linus Torvalds literally owns the rights to the
> license and therefore is free to provide the leadership that he
> also willing to provide?

Contributors to the Linux kernel retain the rights in their own code.
Linus only literally owns the code he himself wrote.  One writer
estimated in 1999 <http://www.doxpara.com/?q=node/69> that this
consisted of only 5-10% of the kernel.  I can only think that this
percentage has continued to decrease over time as new drivers, etc.
have been added to the kernel.

As to the Linus' figurative ownership of the kernel, we could probably
spend hours discussing the philosophy of that, but this guy
<http://baylink.pitas.com/20010219.html#BURTON> does a decent job of
looking at the basics.

What Linus *does* own, however, is the "Linux" trademark (at least in
the U.S.).  So anyone can, under the GPL, copy the kernel and set
themselves up as the lord and master of their own independent kernel
project.  They just can't call it "Linux."

> Mr. Hannon seems willing to provide the needed leadership, but has
> been stripped of ownership.

I don't know much about BSD politics, so the issues with the NetBSD
Foundation that Mr. Hannum complains about are pretty much a mystery
to me.  But I do know that this very minute, he has the legal ability
to make a copy of the NetBSD source code and start a new project and
set himself up as owner of that.  In fact, ten years ago Theo de Raadt
did this very thing and created OpenBSD*.

Now it isn't exactly as simple as that.  Inertia means that you will
have to come up with a compelling reason for people to switch over to
your project.  And you'll have to struggle to build a good name for
the new project (then again, if enough people are upset with how
things are going at the old project, a different name may be a plus).

> Thus I am willing to support WPLUG however I can - because it
> benefits me.  I guess I am beginning to feel some ownership in this
> little organization!

Hey, "enlightened self-interest" is a primary driver in Open Source.
I hope more people feel ownership in WPLUG and decide to pitch in to
make its activities better, as this just improves things for all of
us!

*Read <http://kerneltrap.org/node/6> for the basics, or follow the
"very lengthy page" link from there for the gory details.

Vance Kochenderfer        |  "Get me out of these ropes and into a
vkochend at nyx.net          |   good belt of Scotch"    -Nick Danger