Re: CD/DVD record

From: Bill Davidsen
Date: Thu Aug 26 2004 - 21:23:53 EST


Stephan von Krawczynski wrote:
On Wed, 25 Aug 2004 17:54:25 -0400 (EDT)
Bill Davidsen <davidsen@xxxxxxx> wrote:


On Wed, 25 Aug 2004, Stephan von Krawczynski wrote:

Actually this is only FUD spread by Joerg. He is definitely not the only
man on this planet knowing how to program CD/DVD burning equipment.

Good, glad you have a supply of SCSI gurus who want to dedicate all their
spare time to maintaining OS software. Joerg has been at this for years,
and I think that while identifying technically competent people is
possible, I doubt there's a big overlap with the set of people who have
nothing better to do with their spare time. When I said "find" I certainly
meant both qualifications.


Well, please read the docs for cdrecord again carefully. The story is not about
_free_, it is about _money_. Certain versions of cdrecord are licensed to
commercial customers for _money_. So please rethink your position.

You mean ProDVD? It's a JOKE! I tried to buy a copy when it came out, and he doesn't take Paypal, and he doesn't take credit cards, and he doesn't want personal checks, and given the new rules about sending cash to a foreign national from the US I doubt if he makes enough to buy beer. Particularly since he found it easier to give a free license for personal use than to setup the accounts he could use to get money in convenient ways.


Generally cdrecord has one big deficiency, which obviously was intended:
it does not allow medium skilled programmers from drive _vendors_ to add
support for their latest hardware easily. Everyone has to beg Joerg, which
obviously increased his ego dramatically over the years.
It would be a lot better to start off a new project where vendors (or
anybody with skill and will) can contribute more easily, i.e. something
that is truely_open_.

A nice idea, but in truth if a vendor wants support in cdrecord a tech ref
and sample unit will almost certainly do it. I'd love to have support for
HD_BURN in Linux, but Joerg can't seem to get the info needed. I doubt
that people who won't release the info will trouble to write the driver.


Well, if I were owner of docs that are important for Joerg to make money and
had listened to him for the past 4 or 5 years and how he treated people (and
still does) it would be highly probable that I wouldn't be very cooperative,
too.
Please see the whole picture, not only what Joerg talks about.
Just take a clear look at his latest code changes and tell me if they look like
being done by an open-minded and friendly person to you.

Speaking from a potential commercial customers' point of view I decided against
using this software, not because of the money, but because of the
closed-everything-and-his-ears habit of the author. I don't see how this
project can survive its current author. Therefore I consider it an already dead
horse.

That is a problem, but I will pass on starting over when there is a fine software to use. He's not the only dificult author around, or even the most dificult, just the most visible.

--
-bill davidsen (davidsen@xxxxxxx)
"The secret to procrastination is to put things off until the
last possible moment - but no longer" -me
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/