*BSD News Article 39226


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From: jemiller@netcom.com (John Edward Miller)
Subject: Re: Unix for PC
Message-ID: <jemillerD0KD8I.47n@netcom.com>
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References: <199411210319.TAA18133@nic.cerf.net> <D05760.C33@news.cern.ch> <pageoneD09Mqx.A3u@netcom.com> <D0CDv6.8v@novell.co.uk> <3c093e$6bm@pdq.coe.montana.edu>
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Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 22:02:42 GMT
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Nate Williams (nate@bsd.coe.montana.edu) wrote:
: In article <D0CDv6.8v@novell.co.uk>,
: Martin Sohnius <msohnius@novell.co.uk> wrote:
: >Wow!  Now we really know how quality control works for Linux.  "Neither
: >Linus or myself could test the code first - trial by fire seemed to be the
: >only way..., since I couldn't think of anything to test it on."
: >
: >Anyone ever wondered why people in suits don't want free OS's?  Here is
: >the answer for you.

: This is NOT the way code is integrated into the other free OS's, and I
: would venture to say that no-one is forced to run the 'patch of the day'
: release of Linux either.

: People in suits 'DO' use free OS's, and saying that they don't is simply
: not true.  However, for critical projects you NEED to have someone at
: the other end of the phone who WILL answer your question and WILL devote
: time to fixing YOUR bugs.  This is where the free OS's fall short, not
: in the way they do development.


: Nate

: -- 
: nate@bsd.coe.montana.edu     |  FreeBSD dude and all around tech.
: nate@cs.montana.edu          |  weenie.
: work #: (406) 994-4836       |  Unemployed, looking for permanant work in
: home #: (406) 586-0579       |  CS/EE field.

In the commercial world, it's called a beta program and it's done by a
limited number of sites, as far out of the public eye as they can keep it,
for exactly the reasons we're seeing here - the CEO would have a cerebral 
hemorrhage if some analyst at some large shareholder ever heard about  the 
development process (e.g. 'patch of the hour') involved in getting their 
product ready for release.