Linux Foundation's CII Donates $50k+ To OpenBSD

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Linux Foundation's CII Donates $50k+ To OpenBSD

The Linux Foundation's Core Infrastructure Initiative (CII) has made a donation in the range of $50~100k USD to the OpenBSD project...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Linux-Foundation-CII-OpenBSD

[Danny3]

Even though I never used and probably never wil OpenBSD is still nice to see that other non-linux open source projects are helped

[endman]

The only words that describe this situation is shocking, appalling and highly regrettable.

The Linux Foundation needs to have a review of the decisions made by the personnel in CII and heads must roll. That 50k should have been better spent on a project to roll Linux out on to more machines or buy hardware companies which would lead to better GPL control over hardware.

[BBoingo]

The only words that describe this situation is shocking, appalling and highly regrettable.

The Linux Foundation needs to have a review of the decisions made by the personnel in CII and heads must roll. That 50k should have been better spent on a project to roll Linux out on to more machines or buy hardware companies which would lead to better GPL control over hardware.

Or they can occasionally feed an effort which produces useful code they don't care to make or are incapable of making themselves.

[Leinad]

OpenBSD looks like GNU. Great utilities and terrible kernel.

[flecht]

Leinad: I think kernel is not so bad. The lack of drivers is.

[kurly_b]

endman
OpenBSD does OpenSSH, and that's why Microsoft donated to them, who, if the rumours are true, are getting ready to implement a ssh program into PowerShell.
Show me another SSH package that is ubiquitous as OpenSSH, and as secure.
Which also explains the Linux Foundations donations, big corporations rely on things like ssh, so being proactive about security doesn't seam bad to me.
Plus the OpenBSD guys are crazy at writing clean, secure, readable code. It's not a job for these people, it's a religion.

[rmiller]

endman
OpenBSD does OpenSSH, and that's why Microsoft donated to them, who, if the rumours are true, are getting ready to implement a ssh program into PowerShell.
Show me another SSH package that is ubiquitous as OpenSSH, and as secure.
Which also explains the Linux Foundations donations, big corporations rely on things like ssh, so being proactive about security doesn't seam bad to me.
Plus the OpenBSD guys are crazy at writing clean, secure, readable code. It's not a job for these people, it's a religion.

Not just OpenSSH:

http://mdocml.bsd.lv/openbsd_projects.html

[inhuman4]

Even though I never used and probably never wil OpenBSD is still nice to see that other non-linux open source projects are helped

Agreed. I'll probably never use their OS. But many of the applications they maintain (like OpenSSH and tmux) are top notch.

[timofonic]

An OS needs drivers and software. Linux is progressing exponentially and fortunately isn't going to be another Windows with lots of dependence on proprietary software, but some projects are having strong organizations without an aim for aggressive profit (non-profit organizations).

Proprietary software companies want BSD-like software to win, they can predate the code to their needs and save money. It's a way to lower costs, but they do it for non critical parts of their business model. Anyway, they can close the code if they consider it an economical advantage and even put gigantic efforts on a closed source fork to surpass even big Open Source projects. There's mercenaries such as Accenture if you want extremely massive manpower.

Every software needs a GPL replacement, because that's good for the FOSS ecosystem, society and avoid oligopolies.

Linux Foundation sometimes seems to act in a poisonously pragmatic way, wanting fast solutions and not looking forward in the future. BitKeeper kicked their ass in a hard way, fortunately they made Git that even surpasses most proprietary SCMs.

Google Summer of Code is practically dead, this has been a great damage to FOSS. Other organizations need to continue a similar effort, Linux Foundation can be one of them.

There's projects that need money in a lot more urgent way and even assist them to create strong and robust foundations:

- Some projects such as CUPS are in very dangerous situations, corporate owned (Apple Inc. in this case, one that promotes BSD over GPL) and with private forks with parts that never go back to the Open Source release.
--> Perhaps an alternative form is needed?

- KiCad:
* Despite? it's shortcomings (that GUI needs a very extreme overhaul, they need to do massive efforts in file formats to ease interoperability, a better library manager, a strong component library shared even by other FOSS and indie EDA tools...) it's the best FOSS EDA software out there and some CERN guys are making great additions (that push and shove routing is amazing).
* Open Hardware is the next step in technological freedom. It may take years before we can print our own CPUs, electronic components and even an entire PCB (but not impossible, maybe biotechnology will make current electronics obsolete in the far future).

- QUCS: One of the most promising FOSS circuit simulator software and it's done by volunteers.

- Sigrok: Software for data acquisition of DMMs, oscilloscopes, power supplies and tons of other electronic instruments equipment. Despite being a great piece of software, they are volunteers and lack funding.

- Education:
* There's lack of pedagogical innovation in a really effective way, most of it are really gimmicks such as Moodle that most of the time make students more stressed with even more stupid homework instead having intensive Active Learning programs that follow their most personal interests.
* The situation is even a lot more? worse in technology, big publishing companies monopolize knowledge and make it accessible only to privileged people with their proprietary works, teachers lack of a sophisticated pedagogical education and make boring and unmotivational classes with lots of useless time wasting tasks.
* There were good howtos and some good copyleft books, but that's not enough, some projects such as Linux Documentation Project are mostly dead. And O'Reilly isn't a philanthropic organization because it published some copyleft works and promotes Linux, we earns money by a proprietary model too.
* There's a big need of funding:
** good copyleft writers: They need money to live, why not support them if they do good shit they love to do instead sell their soul because need money? I understand everyone is some kind of mercenary in this live, but please not contribute to make it worse.
** Collaborative worldwide research in more efficient education and put it in practice with both tools (software, ebooks, wikis...) and involve education professionals around the world. EdX is interesting, but that's not an entire copyleft solution. OLPC seemed an unsustainable scam to me, for example.
* Please take care into account people with disabilities and including learning disabilities, low or no incomes and people lacking motivational support to follow the goals, hey want another opportunity to study about their passion: technology. Some of these collectives include:
** Mature students: Lots of them had undiagnosed learning disabilities, social issues, undiagnosed psychiatric pathologies or lack of economical funding.
--> Most of them unfortunately needed to work on unskilled jobs and they hate to do it, resulting in pathologies such as depression and anxiety disorders). Those jobs are progressively disappearing too.
--> Lots others had a very poor job life because their undiagnosed issues or traumatic environment made them depressive and got extremely pessimistic about themselves ("I'm stupid, useless" is one of the most common ideas in their minds).
** People from socially destroyed environments, rehabilitated people from a troubled life and/or psychiatric pathologies: schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, autism/Asperger whenever possible, bipolar disorder, ADHD including mild and severe forms with other comorbid pathologies (OCD, Asperger, anxiety disorder, social phobia, sleeping issues, bipolar disorder...).
- Local User Groups:
* Linux won the corporate world, but lost some of it's "underground"/"hipppie" roots. Current LUGs in my country are very inactive and focus more in boring presentations about web technologies than promoting Linux, FOSS, teaching and creating free knowledge (even teaching programming to dummies like myself would report back in occasional patches and even some create new fantastic projects of collaborate in others in paid or non paid form) promoting FOSS in government institutions and even local businesses.
* I think HackSpaces must be promoted more around all the world in a very aggressive and benevolent way and back to the roots of computer, radio and railroad clubs in a new and holistic form.
------> But please avoid the current trend of psychopaths, parasites and possers that would use any sociocultural movement to their shady political and economical needs. Both result in the same shit, money for boycotting progress or the their very personal and destructively very narcissistic needs in the worst way of a movie or music star (style over substance).