🚀 go-pugleaf

If you've got the time and resources to develop a new AFTP database
server, why wouldn't you consider contributing that time and effort
towards improving the existing one?

If you feel that Alan and Peter have done the net a great disfavour by
charging for the new releases of Archie servers, perhaps you could
elaborate. I personally accept what they did as being necessary to
sustain the development of the service(s). I also don't think that
they're in it to bilk the net out of something, or to make a fortune
on the backs of others. I think their contributions to IETF and such
activities reflects a genuine concern for and interest in sustained
growth of the Internet community. The fact that they also have to eat
and pay rent without the benefit of graduate stipends or a job that
allows them to work on their own projects is simply a fact of life.

My money is where my mouth is: I spend more time than I should
"supporting" xarchie and developing the next version, which will be
released sometime RSN, maybe this month. I'm happy to contribute for
free to the extent that my situation allows it. They wanted to be
independent of external factors like theses or backups, and so choose
the path they did. The fact is that the Internet is becoming
commercialized at an incredible rate, and I think it's great that
knowledgeable and caring people like Alan and Peter are involved. It's
one thing to write a bit of code that sets up the servers -- we can
all do that. It's another thing entirely to devote time to community
concerns that such services generate.

George
-- 
George Ferguson                 ARPA: ferguson@cs.rochester.edu
Dept. of Computer Science       UUCP: rutgers!rochester!ferguson
University of Rochester         VOX:  (716) 275-2527
Rochester  NY  14627-0226       FAX:  (716) 461-2018