Re: [lm@bitmover.com: Re: Self-introduction]

Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com>:
> Eric, let's set the record straight on this one. First of all, you
> can't possibly be claiming you invented the changeset abstraction, right?

Nope, it was way too obvious to be original with me.

But I do remember you wandering off in a daze after I laid it out,
then walking back up to me in the same daze a while later and blurting
out "Eric! That's *brilliant*!"

I was very amused. If you were trying to flatter me, you didn't
succeed; I mainly wondered how a guy as bright as you could have
missed coming up with the idea sooner. I discarded the hypothesis
that you're actually a superficial idiot, concluded you had merely
been too close to the problem for perspective, and promptly put the
incident out of my mind.

> I let you believe that you did more than you did simply to stroke your
> ego in hopes of you fixing up that mess you call VC mode so that it would
> work with BK.

Advice: don't try to manipulate me, Larry. It only pisses me off.
And don't admit to playing these kinds of games on a public list; it
will piss other people off who matter more than I do.

(Actually, it would be better for you if you didn't play such games at
all. But clearly you're not wise enough to know that yet. A few more
years and failures may remedy this -- I hope so, anyway.)

And yes, I know VC is a mess. Once upon a time it wasn't, but that
was before someone else's clumsy merge of CVS -- I wince when I look
at that code. Sigh. I really should take it back from the present
maintainer and fix it; you're right enough about that, it's been
bugging me at intervals for the last five years...

> We'd be happy to see you working with Subversion, you are a sharp
> guy and I'm sure the Subversion people will welcome your assistance.

The really annoying part of all this is that I think I agree that bk is a
better design than any CVS workalike. And no offense meant to the Subversion
guys when I say that; they've chosen to emulate CVS for other reasons and
good ones.

Larry, you're a brilliant designer, and for whatever perverse reasons
I kind of like you in person. If your license weren't poisonous, and
if you didn't have a (self-admitted!) tendency to turn into a raving
asshole at semi-regular intervals, I'd be happy to work with you.
And, actually, I could cope with your asshole tendencies if the
license were fixed.

As it is, whatever influence I have and whatever resources VA can
bring to bear are going to go to your competition. Your choices
have consequences; this is one of them.

-- 
		Eric S. Raymond
Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government,
no matter how popular and respected, is the right of the citizens to
keep and bear arms.  [...] the right of the citizens to bear arms is
just one guarantee against arbitrary government and one more safeguard
against a tyranny which now appears remote in America, but which
historically has proved to be always possible.
        -- Hubert H. Humphrey, 1960