[sldev] [PROTOCOL] Protocol Documentation

[dirk husemann]

Argent Stonecutter wrote:
> On 03-Oct-2007, at 08:40, dirk husemann wrote:
>> hmm...i think by opening up the discussion about the future architecture
>> and by starting an architecture working group, LL is showing a
>> substantial amount of openess --- and i trust them that they are dead
>> serious about this. so, in the long run we will have public specs that
>> were developed in the open.
>
> My point is that these comments (below), if they've been accurately
> reported by John, indicate that LL doesn't have any intention of
> conforming to any public specs or notifying anyone of changes that
> effect the public specs. Now, I'm not saying that they have to...
> there is nothing that says an Open Source project actually has to
> produce an Open Systems product. I'm just pointing out that these two
> kinds of openness aren't the same, and it's important to be aware of
> the distinction between them.
quite right.
>
> I'm not knocking Linden Labs here. Open Sourcing the client was an
> amazingly cool thing, it was really courageous of them to do that, and
> I'm not criticizing them where they haven't gone further by any means.
> I'm just trying to promote another kind of openness... one that's as
> old a part of the software industry as Open Source and just as
> important... and arguing that it needs some kind of commitment from LL
> that they don't seem to have made:
>
> * LL: we can't log every change, it would be cluttered and irrelevant
> * LL: the source code is very clear on how all of this works
> * LL: it [the code] is very clear documentation
> * LL: so this whole discussion about documenting the capability API is
> just so people can steal code?
>
> Again, I'm not saying they have to make that commitment, I'm just
> asking them to.
i'm assuming that LL is not always speaking with one voice (i'm not
always speaking with one voice :-( --- you are quite right that we need
specs (if along with open source code, the better). let's make sure we
get those right with the new architecture stuff. for the time being i'm
giving them the benefit of the doubt and take zero and rob by their word(s).

    cheers,
    dirk



-- 
dr dirk husemann, pervasive computing, ibm zurich research lab
--- hud at zurich.ibm.com --- +41 44 724 8573 --- SL: dr scofield