Re: Mathworks-hosted GPL'd software

[Sergei Steshenko]

--- On Tue, 2/23/10, Judd Storrs <address@hidden> wrote:

> From: Judd Storrs <address@hidden>
> Subject: Re: Mathworks-hosted GPL'd software
> To: "Sergei Steshenko" <address@hidden>
> Cc: "Joseph Wakeling" <address@hidden>, address@hidden
> Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 1:35 PM
> On Tue, Feb 23, 2010 at 4:27 PM,
> Sergei Steshenko <address@hidden>
> wrote:
> > safe from vendor lock-in
> 
> You probably operate under a different definition of
> "vendor lock-in"
> than I do as the (old) scilab license explicitly forbade
> any alternate
> vendors ;)
> 
> 
> --judd
> 


My definition of vendor lock-in is dependence on SW vendor. And in that
sense I used to feel suffering vendor lock-in even using Linux.

This is because I often needed newer versions of packages due to bug fixes,
etc., and my Linux vendor used to make releases just twice a year, so I
had to wait.

The vendor at the moment was Mandrake, but them problem wasn't
Mandrake-specific.

I tried a couple of times to install packages from their "Cooker" and
ultimately screwed up the system, which wasn't a surprise. Newer versions
of "basic" libraries needed by newer versions of "end" packages were the
culprits.

Since then I've developed a tool which builds what I need from sources;
the tool does not require root permissions since it installs everything
into locations of my choosing. So, by construction I can't screw up the
system.

Now that I have the tool I don't have suffering from vendor lock-in.

Regards,
  Sergei.