From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <20120515092335.GA27559@dinah> References: <836eec6b1f8009ba1aeee8b198d88201@quintile.net> <0b594562c2c0d89771f8df8b7399c08a@hamnavoe.com> <3d50c93d-aee6-4df5-9a59-469b01310578@ri8g2000pbc.googlegroups.com> <6AFB7F2F-D4F9-4579-903A-DF6394B97C31@9srv.net> <20120514141510.9ACA218C766D@r-36.net> <20120515092335.GA27559@dinah> Date: Tue, 15 May 2012 13:30:10 +0100 Message-ID: From: Charles Forsyth To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=0015175cba301118a604c0125d43 Subject: Re: [9fans] Governance question??? Topicbox-Message-UUID: 8c881bb8-ead7-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 --0015175cba301118a604c0125d43 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 "Thank you, I kind of got the idea that Plan 9 is an informal hobby/ research platform, and that the community contributes where they can, unless its something serious like a new release (probably not up to everybody)." It's more than a hobby/research platform, although we sometimes say that to save time explaining. It has some non-trivial commercial application, for instance, partly because it's small, malleable, and generally tidy, and partly because several ideas (name spaces and 9P) are especially fruitful when building certain classes of distributed system. It's informal in the sense that there isn't any one individual or group in charge, but the different groups working on Plan 9 have their own degrees of formality and civility. As Anthony Sorace said, there hasn't been a "release" as such since 2004, because distribution switched to frequent incremental updates over the Internet, in one way or another. The "Plan 9" trademark is Alcatel-Lucent's (for "operating system computer programs"). It's good until 2017. Alcatel-Lucent also has a few patents relating to 9P and various aspects of the name space: 5,623,666 for example. --0015175cba301118a604c0125d43 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable "Thank you, I kind of got the idea that Plan 9 is a= n informal hobby/
research platform, and that the community contributes wh= ere they can,
unless its something serious like a new release (probabl= y not up to
everybody)."

It's more than = a hobby/research platform, although we sometimes say that to save time expl= aining.
It has some non-trivial commercial application, for instance, partly b= ecause it's small, malleable,
and generally tidy,=C2=A0and pa= rtly because several ideas (name spaces and 9P) are especially fruitful whe= n building
certain classes of distributed system.

It'= ;s informal in the sense that there isn't any one individual or group i= n charge,
but the different groups working on Plan 9 have their o= wn degrees of formality and civility.

As Anthony Sorace said, there hasn't been a "r= elease" as such since 2004, because distribution
switched to= frequent incremental updates over the Internet, in one way or another.

The "Plan 9" trademark is Alcatel-Lucent'= s (for "operating system computer programs").
It's = good until 2017. Alcatel-Lucent also has a few patents relating to 9P and v= arious
aspects of the name space: 5,623,666 for example.

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