[mythtv] Status Question: Is current SVN useable?

[Stuart Morgan]

On Sunday 20 January 2008 09:10:25 Bill Williamson wrote:
> He likely won't toot his own horn, but you do know that this is the
> guy who released the first opensource hacking of the Rio Receivers (In
> fact I can't see his name without thinking of them) and started an
> entire community around open source network audio device development,
> right?  He's not a random user who's never done anything for "open
> source."

I never said that he hadn't done anything for open source, I said that to my 
knowledge he has never made a big contribution to MythTV. Were Linus Torvalds 
to show up on this list writing the same email my reply would have been no 
different. It's probably worse coming from someone who is an open source 
contributor, they should know better. We're working as fast as we can, if 
that's not fast enough for someone then they need to roll up their sleeves 
and get involved. 

> Your attitude is very old school, antagonistic, and a big part of what
> people refer to as the open source "problem."

I might give Reza the benefit of the doubt and guess that he really didn't 
mean to come across in the way that he did, but I'd describe what he did as 
antagonistic. All that I did was to point out the realities of open source, 
that it is human nature to take offence at criticism of what amounts to 
charity work. The bulk of my email, as indicated by the quotes that I 
included, was a reply to Willy who suggested we shouldn't get upset. 

As far as the "open source problem" goes, a lot of people who have met me in 
person on the MythTV stand at Linuxworld/LRL could tell you that I've got 
pretty strong views on what those problems are. I've never counted myself as 
part of the problem, maybe I am, but you are the first person to suggest 
that. Personally I don't believe that, I'm happy to listen to users and hear 
their views and criticisms of Mythtv, I even like to do it in person, 
travelling hundreds of miles at my own expense. However I believe there are 
limits and if anyone expects me to take criticism without reply, without 
hearing my side of the argument, then they just aren't being reasonable.
-- 
Stuart Morgan