Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 4:09 UTC (Tue) by jasonjgw (subscriber, #52080)
Parent article: Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Can it be built by free tools yet, or still only by Sun's proprietary
compiler/assembler?

Last time I looked at it, OpenSolaris and its derivatives were, to use Richard
Stallman's phrase, "free, but shackled", as they could only be compiled by
non-free tools - and there didn't appear to be a strong effort underway to fix
this.

The above may have changed by now, however. If it has, I might give it a try
on a machine.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 10:05 UTC (Tue) by sanxiyn (guest, #44599) [Link] (2 responses)

OpenSolaris can be built with gcc. It has been so for a long time now.
http://opensolaris.org/os/community/tools/gcc/

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 17:49 UTC (Tue) by rriggs (guest, #11598) [Link] (1 responses)

From what I can tell OpenSolaris still requires Sun's customized GCC version 3.4.3, which for SPARC includes their hacked/proprietary GCCfss. The gcc package they call out as being required still uses, on SPARC, the Sun compiler backend and Sun's proprietary linker and assembler.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 28, 2009 19:58 UTC (Thu) by TRS-80 (guest, #1804) [Link]

Um, no. GCCfss has only been available for gcc 4.x, whereas the gcc 3.4.3 that ships with Solaris is pure gcc (albeit using the Solaris linker) and functions fine without Sun Studio installed. The Solaris linker source is available here and here.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 10:37 UTC (Tue) by robert_s (subscriber, #42402) [Link] (4 responses)

"OpenSolaris and its derivatives were, to use Richard Stallman's phrase, "free, but shackled", as they could only be compiled by non-free tools"

Build system or no build system OpenSolaris is still nonfree because of its license. The development model is also very monolithic and cathedral-like.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 11:42 UTC (Tue) by patrick_g (subscriber, #44470) [Link] (3 responses)

CDDL is not a free license ?

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 12:30 UTC (Tue) by Zack (guest, #37335) [Link] (1 responses)

I understand software licenced under the CDDL is still Free Software, even if incompatible with the GPL.
I was expecting Sun to relicense (open)solaris to GPL3 to try and "one up" linux in due time, but now with the Oracle takeover, it's anybody's guess where Solaris (development) will end up.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 12:40 UTC (Tue) by robert_s (subscriber, #42402) [Link]

"I understand software licenced under the CDDL is still Free Software, even if incompatible with the GPL."

You're right. I often confuse the two.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 28, 2009 10:42 UTC (Thu) by alex (subscriber, #1355) [Link]

It's not all CDDL, there are binary only bits in OpenSolaris.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 13:45 UTC (Tue) by regala (guest, #15745) [Link] (5 responses)

http://opensolaris.org/os/community/tools/gcc/status/
this is 30 months ago. it builds with gcc.
as far as I know, RMS's "phrases" have to be backed up by facts, not just "someone told me but I cannot verify as I don't use the web". RMS doesn't take care of verifying what he is told and what he repeats all over the world. Maybe this is another "subversion is bad, karl fogel emacs author is bad" unjustified rant... and sadly, maybe should we not care anymore what this strawman wants us to believe.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 14:27 UTC (Tue) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link] (3 responses)

Please read this, that will stop the pain. It is not everyday that one gets to see a rant disproving itself so spectacularly, by the way. Congrats!

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 15:03 UTC (Tue) by regala (guest, #15745) [Link]

you saved and made my day. thanks a lot.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 19:22 UTC (Tue) by flewellyn (subscriber, #5047) [Link] (1 responses)

I wouldn't call it "disproving itself", so much as adding a note to the top to say "This isn't a problem anymore, but the issue is still something to watch out for, so we'll keep this here for historical reference".

Nothing wrong with that.

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 19:52 UTC (Tue) by hppnq (guest, #14462) [Link]

The rant I was referring to was not RMS' statement, but the LWN comment. I thought that was obvious, but I guess it was not. Sorry!

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 26, 2009 19:51 UTC (Tue) by drag (guest, #31333) [Link]

WTF.

The guy takes a RMS quote out of context and applies it to a question about Nexenta and all of a sudden your jumping up and down claming some sort of victory?

That does not make any sense at all.

Seriously, if your going to attack a guy do it for something they actually said or did, and do it in the context. Making up BS and then spouting silliness about 'misleading phrases not backed up by fact' and 'strawman' is just... well.. silly.

Talk about "Teapot calling the Kettle black".

The only quote about OpenSolaris that I can find on Google that came from Stallman was a interview a few months ago was:

> OpenSolaris is already free software, and I can endorse it as such. If Sun releases it under GPLv3, that will be even better; however, when choosing between free programs, the main factor is practical.
from
http://boycottnovell.com/2008/10/01/rms-rss-interview/

ffs

Nexenta Core Platform 2 Released

Posted May 27, 2009 2:02 UTC (Wed) by jasonjgw (subscriber, #52080) [Link]

To correct an ambiguity that caused confusion in this thread, I didn't attribute to RMS any claim about OpenSolaris; all that I attributed to him was his use of terminology. The original post isn't as clear as it should have been on that point, making it vulnerable to misinterpretation as happened in some of the follow-ups.