> > From: Matthias Pfützner > [mailto:matth...@pfuetzner.de] > > > > Just a small correction. It's NOT closed source, > it's still open source, > BUT: > > The source will only be published AFTER the > commercial binary release! So: > > It's closed development, but NOT closed source! > > You're the only person who believes that. When you > buy an OS from Oracle, > it's literally "An OS." You buy "OS Support," and > then you're licensed for > solaris, or solaris express, or oracle linux, or any > other OS that oracle > produces (if there are any others). > > So this might just be semantics, but Solaris 11 > Express is already the > commercial binary release since a few months ago. No > open source.
For all we know, they may yet update the open source bits that are presently out, once Solaris 11 isn't "Express" anymore. As I understand it, that is a possible interpretation of what they said they'd do, namely release the source updates _after_ the production binary distro (so that competitors couldn't go production with their source before they did). (My personal impression is that Oracle has a poor record of keeping their word with regard to OpenSolaris. Nevertheless, courtesy would require the benefit of the doubt while it's not too much of a stretch to grant it. It would not however require one to risk anything of value on their word...I wouldn't, beyond risking a certain amount of patience.) However, if history is any guide, Solaris 11 will include both open and closed source, so it's perhaps accurate to say that Solaris 11 as a whole presumably won't be open source. There is one thing to keep in mind that would be a good reason for releasing (eventually) as much code as they reasonably can: DTrace. While the number of kernel probes that are relatively stable and useful has gone up, the FBT probes are probably still the only way to answer some questions...but the only way to properly express those questions is if one has a reasonable chance of discovering what the expected callers, arguments, side-effects, and return values are for various kernel functions. That means being able to study the source. What I'd like best is to be able to access as much as possible of the source that _matches_ what I'm running...preferably without having to have compiled the OS myself. Ideally most of that would be open, but if some of it were restrictively licensed but available to look at without charge, I wouldn't be greatly offended. OTOH, I get the impression that Oracle still has this nutso notion that operating systems only exist to sell Oracle DBMS, or appliances, or something else (not to mention expensive support contracts). I get that they need to make money on it. But if they start forgetting it's a general purpose OS, they may start forgetting that other folks have a legitimate interest in the details of how it's implemented... -- This message posted from opensolaris.org _______________________________________________ opensolaris-discuss mailing list opensolaris-discuss@opensolaris.org
