Re: [9fans] Publish and be damned.

[Dan Cross <cross@math.psu.edu>]

In article <20010422181324.L2598@cackle.proxima.alt.za> you write:
>I think rsc was looking at it, but he might not have a chance to make
>progress.  I'll be thrilled to see it all migrate to Plan 9 properly,
>but I see little to be lost by bootstrapping through CVS.  It may be
>a bitch to convert, but surely not impossible.  How likely is it that
>the newer, cleverer version will be totally incompatible with the less
>sophisticated RCS?

Well, if Russ has started something, that's a place to begin
building.  Russ?  In your copious free time, could you confirm
or deny this allegation?

It's pretty likely that something new isn't going to be compatable,
as the RCS file format isn't particularly efficient w.r.t /n/dump
and so isn't too suitable for Plan 9.  Tools to convert to the new
format might be useful, though.

My fear is that starting something off with CVS will lead to something
that stays with CVS due to the Linus factor (not Linus Torvalds, but
the one from peanuts.  Hmm, thinking about it, it's somewhat ironic
that Linux is a safety blanket to so many people...).  Anyway, I'm
responding to those years of systematic torture known as ``time served
as a system administrator'' and one of the overriding principles I
learned early on: Do something right the first time, because you
won't have time to come back later and clean up.

>Certainly, you have made a very sensible suggestion,

Thank you!

>and Boyd's
>approach to use shell scripts is equally sound.  I am quite stuck in
>the Unix paradigm, so I'm in no position to drive this particular
>project in any fashion.
>
>But I could recommend Daniel Friedman's formula for a successful
>development team: something old, something new, something borrowed,
>something blue.  Boyd will do the "blue" bit, who better than him?
>We need someone close to the CVS camp for something "borrowed", that
>leaves something "old", many will fit that bill, and rsc might be
>ideal for something "new", but there may be other fresh outlooks (your
>own, perhaps) out there.

Well, I'm all down with hearing what it is that Russ has done.  Russ?

	- Dan C.