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Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
An unexpected change has necessitated a delay to the start of the package management contracts. Ingo recently posted the update to the [haiku-inc] mailing list. To sum it up, the parts he is responsible for need to be updated to match changes by the customer. At this time, the delay could be anywhere from a few days of work or could be several weeks. The current plan is for Ingo and Oliver to start at the same time. While that asks for patience among us, having both working in tandem is expected to have a synergistic effect. As more information becomes available, I'll try to keep everyone up to date.
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Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
I appreciate the update! I know we users can be grumpy and impatient at times, please accept my apology for being so. However for those who don't follow the mailing lists frequently, an update to any change to an expected contract or work should be on the main site.
Life being as unpredictable as it is, has seemed to slow the pace of developement of Haiku. Such things are to be expected. I hope for the day when the project gets enough donations/contributions to fund full time development. Until then, lets hope the Google Summer of Code will attract more developers!
Can hardly wait for Package Managment/update manager in Haiku! Perhaps then Haiku can have a "rolling release" based from the nightly builds and get daily updates?
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
Thanks for the update! With these contracts being started in the coming weeks, along with the Google Summer of Code, I think 2013 will be a big year for Haiku! And I hope for the same thing ddavid, it would be great if Haiku was able to have developers working on it full time. I think we can all agree that Haiku definitely deserves it, and those developers deserve to get paid for their hard work.
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
Agreed! The developers who work on Haiku pour their blood, sweat, and tears into it with a passion I have yet to see in Linux. Those who work on Haiku, coding and otherwise, do so out of a love for the late BeOS and for the current Haiku.
There has to be a way to get enough funding to pay for full-time development! I don't think hiring developers from outside the project would be a good idea. If we could amass enough money, we could hire all the developer who commit code on a frequent basis. They would be the most familliar with the Haiku system and with the coding style and conventions.
Not to brag or anything, but I donate to the project on a monthly basis. If even half of the regulars here did that, then we would be on our way to completing the goal of full-time development. I understand that Haiku is still in the Alpha stage of development, however I believe the Alpha builds are stable enough to merit an PC OEM partnership!
Right now I hear the echoes of some in this community screaming that Haiku is not ready for a PC OEM! I would argue that Haiku is stable enough and feature complete enough to warrant it. Amaiga OS is not nearly as complete as Windows or Linux in the minds of many, yet it has its own dedicated hardware! Why can't Haiku? At this point in Haiku's development, only nerds and geeks would want a Haiku computer over a Mac or PC. As long as the customer knows what she is getting, then I see no problems.
What I am hoping for is a computer tailor made to be compatible with Haiku! Like system76 for Ubuntu or a Mac for the Mac OS X. A percentage of the profits would help fund future developmenmt of Haiku. Right now this is only a fantasy, a pipe dream. However, nothing that has been invented or discovered was done so without a dream. Before it is invented or discovered, it is only a dream, a fantasy! Then the dream becomes reality.
Dream big and make it so
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
You raise some very interesting points. First of all, I applaud you for donating to this project on a monthly basis. Even though I have only just started using Haiku, if any project is worth donating to, this would be it. I wish I was able to donate as well, but that won't be possible for me on a regular basis anytime soon. Still, I'll try to chip in when I can!
When it comes to forming a partnership to produce "Haikuboxes", I have to disagree with you...at this point in time. Haiku is in alpha for a reason, and shipping it in PCs as it is now will be a recipe for disaster. Although some may know what they are getting themselves into, I doubt most would. Haiku has many great things going for it right now, and it would be a shame if it was rushed in its current state to users who may not fully understand what they can and can't do on it. It could damage Haiku's name & reputation permanently. You only get so many chances to make a good impression, and I'm hoping Haiku makes a great first one when its ready!
I do agree with you that Haiku should form a PC OEM partnership, I just don't agree with you on the timing. I believe once we are close/at R1, the idea of making a Kickstarter to secure additional funding should be looked into. To entice people to donate money, Haiku could form a partnership with a company to produce cheap, efficient, aesthetically pleasing Haikuboxes. If it takes off, Haiku could potentially secure enough funding for multiple years of development, as well as a partner who sees the potential in Haiku and continues to produce PCs tailored for the system.
As for getting Haiku fully funded currently, I think our only realistic shot is to find someone/some group who is willing to invest in Haiku. The only group I can think of right now is Google Ventures (http://www.googleventures.com/). Looking through their list of companies/projects they support, I don't see any OS listed. This could be good, or bad, depending on how you look at it. On one hand, Google has supported Haiku to some extent by continuously accepting them into the Google Summer of Code program (hopefully they will do so again this year!), and they also just recently gave Haiku $5000! On the other hand, how can they benefit from a free OS? At the end of the day, Google is a business, so the guys at Haiku Inc. will have to make a great case for them to consider funding Haiku.
"However, nothing that has been invented or discovered was done so without a dream. Before it is invented or discovered, it is only a dream, a fantasy! Then the dream becomes reality.
Dream big and make it so"
I admire your passion for Haiku ddavid, I have to admit this OS is growing very quickly on me. Like you, I see the massive amount of potential Haiku has, and I'm hoping others will too (whether they be developers or users). Here's to 2013 being a great year for Haiku! :)
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
If this happened, what I'd like to see is Haiku targeted to a small and cheap box, based on either an Intel Atom or an AMD APU platform. I imagine high quality graphics drivers would be a challenge. Definitely worth waiting for R1 for, imho.
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
Modest graphics chip in small quiet box makes sense as HaikuBox. Actually, the level of hardware specs of say modern-day Mac Mini would be the equivalent of a gaming machine or powerful studio station for Haiku. There's a room for low-end nettops, netbooks and also smaller boxes, sort of what you would mount on the back of display and things like that.
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
That would be an ideal HaikuBox. I always imagined it looking similar to a Mac mini. Imagine something like this ( http://i01.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/741574819_1/MiniX-NEO-X5-Android-4-1-... )with Haiku written over it instead of MINIX, it would look amazing! If two versions could be offered up, I think that would be ideal. An entry-level "media center" one for around $99 would be a steal and it would definitely sell, and then a more fully featured one for around $250 would still be a good bargain. Hopefully by the end of this year the idea of an HaikuBox will become more than just an idea.
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
IMO the "buggy" alpha status is not that much of a problem, I'm more concerned about the package management and automated system update methods. Once these things get sorted, I'd be confident, that OEM users at least will be getting the bugfix updates via web sooner or later. The need of solid hardware support (at least to certain degree) also is a factor.
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
What we have here is the classic "Chicken and the Egg" dilema. We want Haiku to have more and more users and developers, but no certified hardware to run it on. With the only options for users is to install haiku on their own hardware can potentially cause compatibility issues. The only other option is to run Haiku in a virtual machine that can cause reduced performance. Both "solutions" can cause bad press!
I agree that at the current stage of development, a Haiku Box should not be marketed to the average user. I also understand that an OEM will not bother with only a handfull of customers (current users). What is needed then is someone in the community (or Haiku Inc itself) to build a limited number of computers and offer them to the users on the main site. If enough are sold then more could be made. In this way the users can be assured that every component of the hardware will work properly!
Some might ask from where might the money come to pay for the components to build the "Haiku Box". I suppose the computers could be pre-ordered and then the hardware purchased and the computer built. There might be a waiting period between the time of purchase and the delivery date. As long as the user knows ahead of time what she is getting and what to expect from the computer and the OS, all should be well. If someone has the time and the talent, think about it!
If we build it they will come.
Re: Update 2: Contracts for Package Management
But isn't the average user the reason Haiku is being developed? By developing a Haiku Box that's not marketed towards the average user, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of Haiku? Now if someone in the community wanted to build computers that come pre-installed with Haiku, more power to them, but I'm not so sure Haiku Inc. should be spending any of their already limited resources looking into this (at this stage in time anyway).
DioGen, I agree. Once a package management/automated update system is implemented, I believe Haiku will be more or less ready for the masses. Include a better browser, increased hardware support and we'll pretty much be at R1. :)