From 842a71322049b889dc28201a07c16eac64c52a7b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Thomas Schwinge Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 09:55:17 +0200 Subject: faq/why_so_few_developers: Merge into faq/how_many_developers. --- faq/how_many_developers.mdwn | 43 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------ 1 file changed, 31 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-) (limited to 'faq/how_many_developers.mdwn') diff --git a/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn b/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn index 3c430ca4..93283113 100644 --- a/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn +++ b/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn @@ -8,18 +8,37 @@ Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled [[GNU Free Documentation License|/fdl]]."]]"""]] -[[!meta title="How many developers are working on the GNU Hurd?"]] +[[!meta title="How many developers are working on the GNU Hurd, and why so +few?"]] -Not many. One handful work on it in their free time, and another two -handful do help with [[Debian GNU/Hurd|hurd/running/debian]] and -[[hurd/running/Arch_Hurd]] packaging. Also, an additional handful of -former developers are still available for answering technical questions, -but are not really participating in the current development anymore. -For reaching out to new developers, we're participating in [[Google's -Summer of Code program|community/gsoc]]. Likewise, any interested party -(*you*!) are very welcome to start [[contributing]]. Mentoring is -possible, too, to help you get started. +# How Many Developers? -Continue reading some speculation about [[why so few developers]] are working -on the GNU Hurd. +One handful works on the core of the system in their free time, and another +handful helps with [[Debian GNU/Hurd|hurd/running/debian]] and +[[hurd/running/Arch_Hurd]] packaging. Also, an additional handful of former +developers are still available for answering technical questions, but are not +participating in the current development anymore. + + +# Why So Few? + +We can only speculate. One major problem might be that the [[architectural +benefits|advantages]] are generally perceived as very abstract, with little +practical benefit. We currently don't have many tools that are actually making +use of all the possibilities. + +Another reason is that it's been taking too long. Today, most people don't +believe it will ever be ready for production use, and thus would consider +involvement a waste of time. This latter point is invalid, of course, as +learning can never be a waste of time. The same holds for the [[challenges]] +raised by the GNU Hurd -- we can only learn and improve upon working on them. + + +# Attracting New Faces + +We're an open project: any interested party (*you*!) are very welcome to start +[[contributing]]. Mentoring is possible, too, to help you get started. + +Likewise, for reaching out to new developers, we're participating in [[Google's +Summer of Code program|community/gsoc]]. -- cgit v1.2.3 From 50b583deedb7adaf2d954732b4c9b3c25cd2cde6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Thomas Schwinge Date: Mon, 2 May 2011 10:02:49 +0200 Subject: faq/how_many_developers: FSF, industry, science. --- faq/how_many_developers.mdwn | 18 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 18 insertions(+) (limited to 'faq/how_many_developers.mdwn') diff --git a/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn b/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn index 93283113..ab8e8f28 100644 --- a/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn +++ b/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn @@ -20,6 +20,16 @@ handful helps with [[Debian GNU/Hurd|hurd/running/debian]] and developers are still available for answering technical questions, but are not participating in the current development anymore. +In the past (that is, a lot of years ago), the FSF did pay a few developers for +working full time on the GNU Hurd. But that was for a limited amount of time +only, and evidently, it was too little for getting the system into a +competitive state. Nowadays, it's only unpaid and free-time volunteers' work. + +In contrast to the Linux kernel, there is no industry involvement in +development. For one, this is a good thing: independency; no conflicts of +interests. For another, it is also a bad thing: no dedicated full-time +manpower -- which matters a lot. + # Why So Few? @@ -34,6 +44,14 @@ involvement a waste of time. This latter point is invalid, of course, as learning can never be a waste of time. The same holds for the [[challenges]] raised by the GNU Hurd -- we can only learn and improve upon working on them. +For likely the same reasons there is no industry interest in the GNU Hurd: its +advantages are too abstract and incomplete for being of interest there. + +As for the scientific sector, the GNU Hurd projects was rather about *using* a +[[microkernel]] intead of doing research on them, for example. But, there have +been some projects and theses done, and some scientific papers published on GNU +Hurd topics, and we're generally very interested in further such projects. + # Attracting New Faces -- cgit v1.2.3