Re: [9fans] Re: Building GCC

[lucio@proxima.alt.za]

> It is better to take that model and use it than pretend it is a piece of  
> art
> to hanging on a smelly GNU wall...

There's more to an artwork than the aesthetic pleasure of
contemplating it.  With rare exceptions, artistic success builds on
art history, it is unlikely that an unschooled artist will produce a
masterpiece.

The same applies to Plan 9, many of its innovations haven't yet been
absorbed by the artisans in IT design and thus are going unexploited.
For somebody to build a database that exploits Venti for reverting
transactions and deliver a novel application critically based on this
feature, say, requires that the principles on which Venti is based
have achieved sufficient exposure for an inventor to feel at home with
them.  Providing a Plan 9 browser does not seem to me to be the way in
which this familiarity is going to be produced.  On the contrary, the
wintellinux conspiracy is narrowing the familiar selections down to a
very small range and as a result stifling creativity.  I, for one,
feel rather strongly that this is destructive and would prefer to
counter it by focusing my efforts away from the GNU product range.

++L