On Sun, 11 Mar 2001, der Mouse wrote:
> > The things I find distasteful are, unfortunately, largely cosmetic,
> > so my complaints are, for technical purposes, unjustified.
> 
> Part of my problem with the direction NetBSD is taking is that it seems
> that the only acceptable objection to anything is a technical one.
> 
> Perhaps that's the direction _NetBSD_ wants to go.  It's not the
> direction _I_ want to go.  "Feel" is important - critical, almost - to
> me, nontechnical as it is.

they ARE! Methodology, philosophy, principle, the underpinnings of the
_design_. they are the progenitors of technical solutions. When the
philosophy behind netBSD development ceases to be anywhere intersecting with
the philosophy of UNIX in older times, then that feel, along with the
spirit and flavor of the implementations, will totally change. Not 
important? I think it is highly important. Not only because of the general
usability of the system, but also because this philosophy that begets
grossly dissimilarly feeling systems _also_ begets changes in the technical
directions over time. It has gotten to the point here that some folks want
features for the sake of features, or features for the sake of attracting
more users, nevermind whatever other implications that has. 
Any objection that is raised to this is immediately flamed out and the only
possible discussion some folks will tolerate is not _why are we doing this_
but _how is the better way to do this_. Some folks need to stop, sit back,
and ask 'why am i doing this?' sometimes!

> 
> > The objection I perceive is that the ones who want to tinker are not
> > the ones whose changes are being incorporated, which I'm not sure is
> > at all true.
> 
> Well, the objection *I* have is that the changes - rc.d is the poster
> child for this - make the system a great deal less pleasant for me.

Ill agree. I was vehemently against the rc.d stuff. I keep a tarball of
olf rc scripts and the first thing i do on a newer system is trash the
rc.d crap and stick in real rc's again. This rc.d thing i can _only_ see 
as an attempt to appease the linux-familiar and slolaris-familiar folks who
somehow are desperately wanted to start using netbsd. This is also a 
great example of what i see happening to the decisions in where NetBSD is
going: a few folks decide 'how things will be', and then, regardless of any
discussion, thats how things are declared to be. 

Isildur