Re: Stack Smash Protection disabled (was HEADS-UP: Stack Smash Protection enabled by default for amd64 and i386)

[Elad Efrat <elad%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

On Thu, Nov 12, 2009 at 10:49 PM, Quentin Garnier <cube%cubidou.net@localhost> 
wrote:

> I can think of one situation where the 5% performance gain does make a
> difference, though.  When some lame ass blogger does a poorly operated
> benchmark of, say, NetBSD 6.0, 5.0 and whatever will be the greatest
> Linux and FreeBSD at the times, it will go like this:  "pfff, those
> idiots at NetBSD, 5.0 kicks 6.0's ass for performance".  And here goes
> Slashdot and the crowd of cretins.
>
> So in the end, I think it's only a matter of hype.  Don't get me wrong,
> but somehow a feature whose only purpose is to mitigate bugs that
> haven't been found is not a very positive message.  An honest one,
> maybe,  but plain honest truth is not necessarily what sells the
> newspapers.

Thanks for pointing out that technical decisions in NetBSD, the "no
hype" project, are based on what Slashdot readers and lame ass
bloggers will think.

> I apologise for the car analogy, but a fast red polluting Ferrari will
> always bring more readers to the cover of Quatroruotte than a green
> hybrid.

That does not change the fact that Toyota is still the largest car
company in the world.

Have fun selling newspapers instead of making headlines,

-e.