[Novalug] Red Hat's Kernel Changes -- was Is CentOS Dead?

James Ewing Cottrell 3rd JECottrell3@Comcast.NET
Wed May 11 12:37:45 EDT 2011


  On 5/10/2011 8:30 PM, greg pryzby wrote:
> Please read this statement to understand what Red Hat did and why:
>     http://www.redhat.com/about/news/blog/commitment-to-open
I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, what RH is does makes 
things Less Transparent. On the other, the GPL merely requires that the 
Source Code be released. It does not specify that the entire Patch and 
Revision History, Bug Tracking, Knowledge Base, Corporate Technical 
Review Meetings, or Collective Navel Gazings be made available.

I would hope that the SRPMs contain one Pristine Source and one (or 
maybe more) Giant Red Hat Patch, but even one Giant Red Hat Prepatched 
source would seem to fulfill the GPL.

Anyone who complains can either Roll Their Own Kernel, or perhaps use 
Fedora, which I imagine won't be changing their Build Procedures.

Personally, I don't really care mush about the kernel...I just accept it 
as a Black Box. While there are many of us here that could hack upon the 
GNUtilities...few of us have Kernel Hacking Mojo.

If this is what it takes Red Hat to Stay Alive as a Business...I am All 
For It. Because whether or not you may prefer another Distro, Red Hat is 
really the ONLY Linux Company really Making A Difference.

As the Fringe Observer said: "The Boy is Important. He Must Survive".

JIM



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