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Diffstat (limited to 'faq')
| -rw-r--r-- | faq/how_many_developers.mdwn | 62 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | faq/why_so_few_developers.mdwn | 27 |
2 files changed, 50 insertions, 39 deletions
diff --git a/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn b/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn index 3c430ca4..a96e0576 100644 --- a/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn +++ b/faq/how_many_developers.mdwn @@ -8,18 +8,56 @@ 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. + +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 (apart from some +[[bounties|tag/bounty]]) 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? + +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. + +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 + +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]]. diff --git a/faq/why_so_few_developers.mdwn b/faq/why_so_few_developers.mdwn deleted file mode 100644 index a2740abc..00000000 --- a/faq/why_so_few_developers.mdwn +++ /dev/null @@ -1,27 +0,0 @@ -[[!meta copyright="Copyright © 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc."]] - -[[!meta license="""[[!toggle id="license" text="GFDL 1.2+"]][[!toggleable -id="license" text="Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this -document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or -any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant -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="Why are there so few developers working on the GNU -Hurd?"]] - -[[There aren't working a lot of people on the GNU -Hurd|how_many_developers]]. Why is this? - -We can only speculate. One major problem might be that the -[[architectural benefits|advantages]] are generally perceived as very -abstract, with little practical benefits. We don't have many tools to -present actually making use of the possibilities. - -Another reason is that it's been taking too long. 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. |