As you can see netatalk is GPL and therefore you and anyone else who feels the inclination are free to modify netatalk and/or samba to do the things you feel they currently don't do.
If there is something that netatalk does not currently do that you feel strongly about then I suggest you speak with the developers or pick up a book on C and get cracking. You are free to do that today!
On the subject of Microsoft and Samba, what they fear is that they will no longer be able to charge users for what others are making freely available - needing a license for Client Access to a filesystem was good business for Microsoft but really belongs in the past. My suggestion to them is to concentrate on other areas of their business which do have a profitable future (Microsoft Search Engine, Desktop Search,<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.NET, Media Streaming, DRM) rather than doing what I think they'll do which is as follows:
Microsoft desirable action: Suggest, in conjunction with other Industry leaders, a filesystem which will have published "free" APIs which all types of source licenses will be able to plug in to. Make it a goal that Windows will work perfectly with this new filesystem and give commitment to a static standard for 5 years
Microsoft likely action: Ignore interoperability goals and don't co-operate with anyone - come up with a unilateral file system standard deliberately including as much patentable technology as possible and file the patents immediately. Don't publish APIs (unless forced to by the EU) and work to release this "wonder" of new filesystems. Oh and yes make sure that it is the default (and probably only choice) available to new Windows Server and Windows Desktop installations so that even if a Corporate IT Manager wanted to retain NTFS to keep interoperability with his lower TCO server (perhaps GNU/Linux or BSD) then he will be prevented from doing so - the silly sausage!
PS The removal of the requirement for Client Access Licenses (Samba/Netatalk) will save you and many thousands of other businesses and home users an awful lot of money when it comes to that necessary activity of sharing files across an office/home network. Rather than knock the GPL perhaps you should be thanking it for helping reduce the costs of doing business.
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Re:That's a uniquely GPL issue...
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on December 23, 2004 07:06 PMhttp://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
As you can see netatalk is GPL and therefore you and anyone else who feels the inclination are free to modify netatalk and/or samba to do the things you feel they currently don't do.
If there is something that netatalk does not currently do that you feel strongly about then I suggest you speak with the developers or pick up a book on C and get cracking. You are free to do that today!
On the subject of Microsoft and Samba, what they fear is that they will no longer be able to charge users for what others are making freely available - needing a license for Client Access to a filesystem was good business for Microsoft but really belongs in the past. My suggestion to them is to concentrate on other areas of their business which do have a profitable future (Microsoft Search Engine, Desktop Search,<nobr> <wbr></nobr>.NET, Media Streaming, DRM) rather than doing what I think they'll do which is as follows:
Microsoft desirable action:
Suggest, in conjunction with other Industry leaders, a filesystem which will have published "free" APIs which all types of source licenses will be able to plug in to. Make it a goal that Windows will work perfectly with this new filesystem and give commitment to a static standard for 5 years
Microsoft likely action: Ignore interoperability goals and don't co-operate with anyone - come up with a unilateral file system standard deliberately including as much patentable technology as possible and file the patents immediately. Don't publish APIs (unless forced to by the EU) and work to release this "wonder" of new filesystems. Oh and yes make sure that it is the default (and probably only choice) available to new Windows Server and Windows Desktop installations so that even if a Corporate IT Manager wanted to retain NTFS to keep interoperability with his lower TCO server (perhaps GNU/Linux or BSD) then he will be prevented from doing so - the silly sausage!
PS The removal of the requirement for Client Access Licenses (Samba/Netatalk) will save you and many thousands of other businesses and home users an awful lot of money when it comes to that necessary activity of sharing files across an office/home network. Rather than knock the GPL perhaps you should be thanking it for helping reduce the costs of doing business.
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