[AFS3-std] Re: IBM will not re-license OpenAFS .xg files

[Steve Simmons]

On Aug 28, 2012, at 8:07 PM, Andrew Deason wrote:

> On Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:04:10 -0700
> Russ Allbery <rra@stanford.edu> wrote:
>=20
>> This issue has never been the serious blocker for standards work
>> around AFS.  That blocker has always been the same thing that blocks
>> most things about AFS: simple lack of time among the people who are
>> currently able to do the work.
>=20
> "Not enough time/resources" isn't really a reason; not on its own. The
> people able to do this work have plenty of time, but they just choose =
to
> spend it doing other things. The blocker "reason" then, it why they do
> that. For at least me, and the impression I've gotten when talking to
> others, there are a few reasons....

I'd add another to the list Andrew supplied: lack of institutional =
support. When I took over the umich cell six years ago there was a fair =
amount of benign neglect that had to be undone, and for a couple of =
years we were able to put significant time into improving the cell. In =
the past two years that time has dropped to zero as we all 'do more with =
less.' The further something is from having an immediate benefit to the =
University (Michigan), the less likely it will be approved to work on.

For six years I've struggled to get the University to commit actual cash =
to oafs projects. Twice I got to yes at the director level, both time =
the person saying yes left the University shortly thereafter. The =
current director is completely uninterested, so I'm not beating that =
dead horse.

The folks who work on the other afs cells here (there are at least two =
others) report the same issues. The few folks I know at other schools =
report the same.

Steve=