>>>>> "rt" == Rich Teer <rich.teer@XXX-group.com> writes: rt> Summary: Solaris Express Community Edition (SXCE) is like the rt> OpenSolaris of old no. OpenSolaris used to refer to the OS/Net source code consolidation, and the project/governance system, all of which actually involved free and open source code. old OpenSolaris: * free software only * can be copied and shared * very few hardware drivers * not a complete operating system. not able to self-host. it was a .tar.gz containing source, initially extremely tiny like 90MB. then there were ``binary kits'' you had to add on to build the source. and, even with the binary kits, it doesn't build to a full OS. It builds into something that overlays SXCE. * currently there is no name to describe this piece. All names in the redefined world include something that is not free software. SXCE: * free software * binary software under redistributable license * binary software under $0, non-redistributable ``click-wrap'' license. * click-wrap. has to be downloaded from sun download center after making account, can't be shared. * self-hosting and complete (if you agree to a little more click-wrap including ``no benchmark publishing'' clauses, and download sun studio) new OpenSolaris / Indiana: * free software * binary software under redistributable license. * complete. * many drivers are binary. often requres downloading a driver from the manufacturer, under click-wrap. * not sure if it is self-hosting, or built on SXCE. unlike BSD/Gentoo, the distribution format is binary. Nexenta: * free software * binary software under redistributable license * complete. * many drivers are binary. often requres downloading a driver from the manufacturer, under click-wrap. * not sure if it is self-hosting, or built on SXCE. Solaris 10: * binary only. this source code branch AIUI is not available for inspection. * click-wrap. has to be downloaded from sun download center after making account, can't be shared. It would be nice to name things in a way that people better understood their freedom and could more easily compare Solaris's level of freedom with Linux's. That said I find it more honest to have the OpenSolaris name pointing intentionally to Indiana, rather than to have it pointing through persistent uncorrected misunderstanding at the less-open SXCE (which people used to keep confusedly thinking is mostly free software which it is not).
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