Hi,
Thought I'd throw in my $0.02.
For me, when I consider the subject of open source stuff for OS/2 / eCS, I admit that in an ideal world I'd love to see lots of it open sourced. However I also recognize that what we have is a closed-source operating system. And as long as we have a closed-source OS as the base, we'll be limited to what is open source and what is not.
Take for example the DDK as has been discussed. The DDK is available, and is a great resource for developing new device drivers or enhancing current device drivers to extend their capability for new hardware. Code in the DDK allows us to have a system which will boot and run on a lot of hardware that is available.
However for reasons already explained the DDK (and any code which comes via DDK sources) *can't be* open sourced. To re-write DDK code would take a lot of work.
So the question in my mind is: Do I want an operating system that will run on the hardware I have using updated drivers, regardless if the code that brought about those drivers is open source or not? Do I want portions of the OS updated to allow it to run on modern hardware (such as ACPI), even if the updates are closed-source? Or do I want to wait, for potentially years and years, and potentially never to appear open source replacements?
True, I'd love it if all this stuff could be open sourced. However with the current base we're working from, that's not going to happen soon.
I don't want to detract from the open source stuff we currently have - I applaud the people who have gone to the effort to provide us with this. However for the immediate time being, I have a job to do. I have systems where I rely on OS/2 / eCS and I need them to just work. If I can keep those systems running with open source drivers and apps, then great! However considering OS/2 / eCS is a closed source operating system, if I need to use a closed source driver or application to keep those systems running then I'm fine with that too. Its all a matter of balance.
If I cared about everything being fully open source I'd likely switch to something like Linux or BSD. However that's not the reason I chose a particular OS for a particular task. My choice is more based on whether or not the system is the best fit solution for the the job that I need it to do. Yes I'm idealistic and would love to see even more stuff open sourced, but I also recognize that I have a job that I need to do.
Thanks