This is the mail archive of the
ecos-discuss@sources.redhat.com
mailing list for the eCos project.
Re: Red Hat backs away from eCos?
- From: "Bruce Smith" <brucesmith666 at hotmail dot com>
- To: ecos-discuss at sources dot redhat dot com
- Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 06:36:54 -0700
- Subject: Re: [ECOS] Red Hat backs away from eCos?
- Bcc:
Kjell Svensson wrote:
I have also with satisfaction noted that some people from the former
Cygus/RedHat/eCos developer team is still talking to the list. I surely
hope most of these developers will be able to keep on working with
open-source eCos.
I agree.
It seems that Lineo has allowed a spinoff of its own RTOS from this article,
so why not Red Hat?
http://theregister.co.uk/content/4/25696.html
I just find the silence from Red Hat and the developers deafening so
thoughts and speculation begin to enter into my head. I would have expected
the developers to announce their startup along with Red Hat's linuxdevices
article, like Lineo and Quadros Systems did. Why are Red Hat and the
developers not commenting on this, just to set the record straight? Or is it
the usual "we do not comment on rumours"?
I'm myself not sure whether VC-financing is the right thing for embedded
open-source projects - I have seen more than one well-working company
(maybe Cygnus is a good example?) that has lost much of its business
potential when VC:s have come in trying to boost revenues to unhealty
levels. And it usually don't seem to be any better if such a company
eventually goes off for an IPO...
Or gets bought by Red Hat :-)
Looking back through most of their aquisitions and their layoffs, there
appears to be a corresponding releationship. While I would expect some
layoffs, I would expect them to be administrative and not to the level of
the developers that Red Hat has made.
"Jim" (jyl087@netscape.net) suggested that chip manufacturers should form a
coalition group sponsoring further eCos development. While I believe this
is a beautiful idea, my experience with silicon manufacturers unfortunately
makes me pessimistic to whether this would be realistic.
I agree with you. Silicon vendors are being hard-pressed with the downturn
in the embedded economy just as much as the rest of us. Even ARM did not
perform as well as it should have. Pity Red Hat does not have the staying
power to see this through, or maybe not ;-)
Instead, I'd suggest that we who are today part of the eCos user community
join together, founding and sponsoring an eCos startup company who could
safely bring a truly open-source eCos further!
If we move on fast, hopefully we could maybe even attract some of the
original eCos developers to this eCos startup before they will have to
switch over to other businesses
This is a great suggestion, but I do not think there is a rush. My guess
from the silence is that Red Hat are have some kind of restraining order on
the developers. Red Hat have a lot cash and a large legal staff, and large
corporate bodies just tend to be like that in my experience. Whatever it is,
I do not think the developers will be able to move fast given these
restrictions, and news of what is happening to them will eventually leak out
from Red Hat. I would wait until we start getting responses from these
engineers either on this list or individually, and then start coordinating
these efforts.
Tough break guys and hang in there. The community will still be here for you
:-)
While I doubt such a company would be able to produce revenue levels
interesting enough to a VC, I'm positive that it could safely provide a
sound financial ground for a smaller number of developers continuing the
eCos development in a truly open-source spirit. And with the help from
contributions from a more dedicated "sponsorship community", I believe the
speed of furter eCos development could even be improved.
I suggest anyone interested in helping sponsoring an eCos startup
(indications from users about being willing to buy servicess from such a
startup would probably be the most valuabe item!) tell this to this list,
so that we can see it this could be a possible route to take.
You can count on my support and I would certainly recommend this startup to
the companies I contract for. The eCos code these developers create is
poetry IMHO, and this startup would certainly be able to contract for a lot
less than what Red Hat charges. I was quoted $80-100k average for a port by
their sales staff at ESCW around 2 years back, and did the work in 5 weeks.
Not quite to the same standards though I suppose :-)
regards
bruce
_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com
--
Before posting, please read the FAQ: http://sources.redhat.com/fom/ecos
and search the list archive: http://sources.redhat.com/ml/ecos-discuss