Closed source modules will be banned from kernel?

[Ed Greshko]

Anne Wilson wrote:
> On Monday 07 July 2008 20:37:33 Tom Horsley wrote:
>> On Mon, 7 Jul 2008 19:51:51 +0100
>>
>> Alan Cox <alan at lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk> wrote:
>>> Binary modules usually last only a few releases before changes in the
>>> kernel break them by accident anyway so I would assume that if a binary
>>> driver vendor goes under the clock is ticking.
>> I wouldn't say "by accident" - It has been my experience that
>> most of the time, the breakage is not only highly deliberate, but
>> triggered mostly by the high incidence of extreme OCD which kernel
>> developers seem to suffer from, causing them to make fantastic
>> wholesale changes to driver interfaces for utterly trivial
>> cosmetic reasons which add no stability or functionality, but
>> merely relieve their obsessive need to correct some "flaw" which
>> no one else can perceive :-).
> 
> Why is it considered OK to insult people on a mailing list, when you wouldn't 
> to their face?

I don't feel there is any insult above.  An opinion was offered about a 
class of people.  And, frankly, should I were to hold that opinion I would 
not hesitate to express it in that manner in public to the group's face.  In 
fact, I've done so with a bunch of X.400 developers at a conference in 
Australia.  Can't remember what city...we all got too drunk.  :-)

Besides, Alan did append a :-) which automatically absolves the writer of 
any ill intent or presumed intent.

-- 
We'll know that rock is dead when you have to get a degree to work in it.