Bitkeeper in Linuxdevelopment :(

[Jeroen Dekkers]

On Thu, Feb 07, 2002 at 05:52:31PM +0100, Joerg Schilling wrote:
> 
> >From jeroen at dekkers.cx Thu Feb  7 16:46:40 2002
> 
> >On Thu, Feb 07, 2002 at 01:05:38PM +0100, Joerg Schilling wrote:
> >> The result is that there is only CVS which cannot be called free.
> 
> >Am I missing something? AFAIK CVS is completely free.
> 
> Yup, you are missing the difference between free beer and freedom.

AFAIK the CVS program is free (as in free speech).

> While the CVD program is free, it does not give me the needed freedom.
 
What freedom?

> Please note: in the 1980s CVS has been free only for universities.

I didn't know that. But if I'm right it's free
 
> 		The CVS authors did create a script that converts SCCS
> 		history fiules into RCS history files but not vice
> 		versa. 
> 
> If I would have beeen interested to test CVS and later would find that I 
> don't like it, I would not have the freedom to convert back to SCCS.

I don't see why that makes CVS non-free. You've the freedom to
convert. You have the CVS source. The fact that nobody thinks that
changing back to the (AFAIK non-free) SCCS system is worthwile to
write a script for doesn't make CVS non-free. It doesn't prevent you
from writing such a script.
 
> Bitkeeper SCCS has other limitations in freedom of use but I see no reason
> why CVS should be any better.
> 
> Bitkeeper comes with source, you may use it for free if you send all delta logs
> to openlog.org ??. You are allowed to modify it if the result passes the
> regression test and if openlog.org is down for more then 3 months ??
> then it becomes GPL'd.
> 
> From the point of usability, there is more freedom for a bitkeeper user than
> for a CVS user.

I can't modify the bitkeeper code and redistribute the modified
version. I can do that with CVS. And that's why CVS is free software
and bitkeeper isn't. And that's why bitkeeper is useless for me.

Jeroen Dekkers
-- 
Jabber supporter - http://www.jabber.org Jabber ID: jdekkers at jabber.org
Debian GNU supporter - http://www.debian.org http://www.gnu.org
IRC: jeroen at openprojects
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 232 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.fsfe.org/pipermail/discussion/attachments/20020207/f6427895/attachment.sig>