Messages in this thread | | | Date | Fri, 8 Feb 2002 16:33:08 +0100 | From | Pavel Machek <> | Subject | Re: linux-2.5.4-pre1 - bitkeeper testing |
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Hi!
> Before you yell at me, remember that source management is not the same > as the kernel. Everyone has to use the kernel, the computer doesn't work > without it. Take that set of people and remove everyone who doesn't use > source management. Out of a potential space of billions of people, you > are left with a market of about .5 - 2 million, world wide. And there > are 300 SCM systems fighting over that space. The top 3 have 50% of > the
I know less than 10 such systems, not 300. And now arch is one of them.
> space. So 297 systems fighting over maybe a million users. That's 3300 > users per system. OK, so if each of those people were willing to pay > $500 for arch support/whatever, that's a total of 1.6 million dollars. > Which isn't remotely close enough to get the job done. And don't forget > that those people have to volunteer that money, it can't be pried out > of them. > > It's just math. Projects that aren't universally used have a much harder > time getting funding than projects that everyone uses. It doesn't matter > what the value is to you, it matters what the costs are to the developers. > This is why microsoft is so rich, they build apps that the masses use. > It's also why clearcase+clearquest is $8000/seat. It's not because > that's what the value is, it's because that's what the cost has to be > or Rational starts to die. > > So before you start talking about support contracts, and grants, and > whatever, realize that the pool of people interested in paying those > dollars is very small. Are _you_ going to send Tom $500?
What was the point of this mail?
Are you concerned that arch is free software and bk is not?
arch _has_ chance; Tom is probably not going to make million dollars, but if someone has a choice between using non-free software and arch, maybe he will just spend his time improving arch.
Pavel -- (about SSSCA) "I don't say this lightly. However, I really think that the U.S. no longer is classifiable as a democracy, but rather as a plutocracy." --hpa - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
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