Strategic Thinking (was: Re: Speculative: Rust for base system components)

[Cy Schubert]

In message <alpine.BSF.2.20.1901051606240.99904 at puchar.net>, Wojciech 
Puchar wr
ites:
> >>> A) FreeBSD needs to become a platform that can host current and
> >>> evolving virtualization technologies.
> >>>
> >>> B) FreeBSD should be able to play in the container space similarly to
> >>> Linux. Unfortunately I believe that this horse has left the barn and it
> >>> may be too late. Then again maybe there is something we can redeem.
> >>
> >> C) Make FreeBSD like others. So why making FreeBSD?
> >
> > Because we offer some technologies the others do not. Unfortunately
> > inferior and incompatible approaches (similarly: VHS vs BETA, Blue Ray
> > vs HD) have left us on the outside. Try porting Kubernetes to FreeBSD.
> no need to.
>
> >
> > The technologies used today are more than just fads. They are building
> > blocks onto which future technologies will be built.
> >
> and this is really sad.

Sure. What is really sad is that the world has moved on. I would love 
to still do kernel programming on the IBM mainframe. That's not 
possible. There used to be half a dozen IBM mainframe datacentres in my 
home town and two in the city I currently live in when I moved here. 
Now there are none in both places. We can cry the blues that life isn't 
what it used to be or we can move on.

One person I once worked with attempted suicide because his beloved 
mainframe here was no more.

Old technologies aren't as relevant as they used to be. Nostalgia for 
days gone by isn't going to make those days come back. Only supporting 
old hardware and only maintaining old paradigms will announce, FreeBSD 
is dying. Do you want that? Get over it and move on.

>
> >>
> >> Not everyone needs the same.
> >
> > Niche. We should be more than simply a desktop O/S (which BTW I use as
> > my primary desktop) and we should be more than a simple bare metal O/S.
>
> Simple bare metal O/S is what is really needed.

They all do that. What else can we bring to the table?

One of the questions to be answered is where do we want to be in five 
years? Stuck in the past?

This sub-thread was meant to have us consider importing rust in the 
bigger scheme of things. My point is, before we do anything, like add a 
shiny new feature or cull some old code, does this align with where we 
want to be in two or five years?


-- 
Cheers,
Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert at cschubert.com>
FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy at FreeBSD.org>   Web:  http://www.FreeBSD.org

	The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.