GSoC: BSD text tools

[Julian H. Stacey]

Re. half baked proposal to delete groff:

If you want to play, play with Linux, which has no tradition of
what to expect.  BSD by contrast is real Unix, those who've been
in Unix business a few decades you know what real Unix is.  More
than just the toolchain to support make world.  Look at Bell
blue & yellow book & see a few tools there. Remember "least suprise".

There's businesses use BSD as Unix, & like the Unix stability, If
they wanted to play with trendy changing functionality they'd run
Linux.  Business users dont always monitor these lists though to
protest every half baked idea though before its implemented.  so
for some ideas, there may be more young keen developers, who don't
value stability, compared to the user base.  Just because more may
speak for an idea on list than against, doesn't mean it sensible.
Dont ignore the user base, wider than the developer base, it creates
users & BSD jobs too.

Typicaly, it's not cost effective for me to argue more, maybe some
who would delete groff have copious idle time, but I have to rush
to travel to write & file a computer company annual report.  ie Yes
I've been in the business a few decades, & know what to expect of
Unix.  It includes not only [g]roff but other tools I would also
not propose to chuck out, even if neither you nor I used them.

PS For lateral business thinking, look up the history of Mr Beaching
& how he continualy pruned the ends of British railway lines that
were little used, till he killed good lines in the end.  Now think
of station groff on the end of a line, & you propose to close it,
& tell users: Trans ship to the ports canal.  Sigh !


Cheers,
Julian
-- 
Julian Stacey: BSD Unix Linux C Sys Eng Consultants Munich http://berklix.com
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