From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: References: Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:11:03 +1100 Message-ID: From: da Tyga To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=bcaec53f382312bfbf050a890f12 Subject: Re: [9fans] questions about 9atom and 9legacy; and their updates Topicbox-Message-UUID: 37101f6c-ead9-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 --bcaec53f382312bfbf050a890f12 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thank you for the clarification, I was puzzling over similar issues. You could also consider 9vx especially if you are tempted to try running under Qemu or some other virtualised environment. Although I'm only at the exploratory stage, I find 9vx more useful than 9front. I also use the Raspberry Pi image which is surprisingly easy to install and use. I found it easier to get going than Bell Labs release on various old i386 systems. On 19 December 2014 at 02:46, David du Colombier <0intro@gmail.com> wrote: > > > 1) How often does Bell Lab's version change? How often/well > > do patches from 9legacy enter BL's version? Some numbers? > > There used to be changes on sources almost every day, > up to March 2014. Now the latest change is from September 17. > > Most of the 9legacy changes where included into Plan 9. > Unfortunately, Plan 9 is now in a pretty frozen state. > > > 2) How do 9atom and 9legacy notice that there has been > > a change in BL? (I'd guess that 9legacy could notice > > immediately, but ...) How is it with 9atom? > > I'll speak for 9legacy. Most of the patches are automatically > applied on the latest Plan 9 CD image on a regular basis. > > When a patch doesn't apply anymore, I fix it. > When a patch has already been applied, I remove it. > > > 3) How is updating supposed to work in case of 9atom > > and 9legacy (as compared to BL's replica) I.e., when > > I decide to use either 9atom or 9legacy and at some > > point there is some change in them, will I / can I > > easily notice and follow? > > 9legacy is really just a set of patches available on > top on Plan 9. It's not a full distribution like 9atom > or 9front. > > I didn't want to run my own replica server, having > to keep the whole repository synchronized with Plan 9. > > Instead, I chose to simply provide a list of patches > that any Plan 9 user might find useful and install > on its machine. > > If you choose to install from a 9legacy CD image, you > will get updates from the /n/sources replica server. > > That said, now that Plan 9 is not as actively maintained > as it used to be, 9legacy might move to his own > full distribution. > > > 5) I am puzzled about licences. At one point I almost > > thought that the software is actually BSD-like > > (i.e. you can do almost whatever, no copyleft, > > Lucent Public License Version 1.02). Now I read: > > > > In February 2014 the University of California, Berkeley, has been > > authorised by the current Plan 9 copyright holder =E2=80=93 Alcatel= -Lucent > > =E2=80=93 to release all Plan 9 software previously governed by the= Lucent > > Public License, Version 1.02 under the GNU General Public License, > > Version 2 > > > > so the mentioned univesity will offer it under GPL, which is viral > > (is copyleft). That surprises me... > > Plan 9 is currently available under LPL 1.02 (/n/sources) > or GPLv2 (https://github.com/brho/plan9). > > Unfortunately, this is a complicated story. Ron could tell you > more about this. Alcatel-Lucent refused to distribute Plan 9 > under a more liberal licence than GPLv2. > > -- > David du Colombier > > --bcaec53f382312bfbf050a890f12 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Thank you for the clarification, I was puzzling over simil= ar issues.

You could also consider 9vx=C2=A0especially if you are tempted to try running unde= r Qemu or some other virtualised environment.
Although I'm on= ly at the exploratory stage, I find 9vx more useful than 9front.=C2=A0

I also use the=C2=A0Raspberry Pi image which is surp= risingly easy to install and use.=C2=A0 I found it easier to get going than= Bell Labs release on various old i386 systems.


On = 19 December 2014 at 02:46, David du Colombier <0intro@gmail.com> wrote:
> 1) How often= does Bell Lab's version change? How often/well
> do patches from 9legacy enter BL's version? Some numbers?

There used to be changes on sources almost every day,
up to March 2014. Now the latest change is from September 17.

Most of the 9legacy changes where included into Plan 9.
Unfortunately, Plan 9 is now in a pretty frozen state.

> 2) How do 9atom and 9legacy notice that there has been
> a change in BL? (I'd guess that 9legacy could notice
> immediately, but ...) How is it with 9atom?

I'll speak for 9legacy. Most of the patches are automatically applied on the latest Plan 9 CD image on a regular basis.

When a patch doesn't apply anymore, I fix it.
When a patch has already been applied, I remove it.

> 3) How is updating supposed to work in case of 9atom
> and 9legacy (as compared to BL's replica) I.e., when
> I decide to use either 9atom or 9legacy and at some
> point there is some change in them, will I / can I
> easily notice and follow?

9legacy is really just a set of patches available on
top on Plan 9. It's not a full distribution like 9atom
or 9front.

I didn't want to run my own replica server, having
to keep the whole repository synchronized with Plan 9.

Instead, I chose to simply provide a list of patches
that any Plan 9 user might find useful and install
on its machine.

If you choose to install from a 9legacy CD image, you
will get updates from the /n/sources replica server.

That said, now that Plan 9 is not as actively maintained
as it used to be, 9legacy might move to his own
full distribution.

> 5) I am puzzled about licences. At one point I almost
> thought that the software is actually BSD-like
> (i.e. you can do almost whatever, no copyleft,
> Lucent Public License Version 1.02). Now I read:
>
>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0In February 2014 the University of California, Berk= eley, has been
>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0authorised by the current Plan 9 copyright holder = =E2=80=93 Alcatel-Lucent
>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0=E2=80=93 to release all Plan 9 software previously= governed by the Lucent
>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0Public License, Version 1.02 under the GNU General = Public License,
>=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0Version 2
>
> so the mentioned univesity will offer it under GPL, which is viral
> (is copyleft). That surprises me...

Plan 9 is currently available under LPL 1.02 (/n/sources)
or GPLv2 (https= ://github.com/brho/plan9).

Unfortunately, this is a complicated story. Ron could tell you
more about this. Alcatel-Lucent refused to distribute Plan 9
under a more liberal licence than GPLv2.

--
David du Colombier

--bcaec53f382312bfbf050a890f12--