New release [was Re: Code changing]

[Sebastian Strollo]

Luke Gorrie <luke@REDACTED> writes:
>
>>Gunilla Hugosson <gunilla@REDACTED> writes:
>
>> I can just add that the next release is scheduled to November 10.
>
>>I think I speak for all of us when I say "yahooooo!" Will the
>>commercial and open source versions be one and the same from this
>>point onwards?
>
>>Cheers,
>>Luke

Yes, this is the (long awaited) release where we have merged open
source with the regular development branch. The intention for the
future is to keep it that way, i.e. the open source is pretty much the
same as the commercial release. (Unfortunately we haven't had the time
to improve the build system for this release, so this release will
build pretty much as the old open source.)

The plan then is to keep Erlang open source, however it will not be
open development, meaning no public CVS repository or such (yet,
perhaps in the future). However our ambition is of course to include
all good fixes to the system in future releases, so just send diffs to
erlang-maintainers@REDACTED and we will consider them.

I think that the handling of Erlang/OTP is going to evolve over time
in cooperation with our paying customers and our open source
enthusiasts. We are not keeping anything secret or holding things back
for their own sake, we just want to make sure we can guarantee quality
in what we release and that we can handle it, configuration management
wise. Getting the right balance is hard, but we are reaching a point
where we have all the right preconditions for a great future. So keep
the discussion going, it helps us figure out what is needed.

I am not responsible for commercial Erlang/OTP but as far as I
understand it when you pay, you get: binary releases, support and
upgrades. (Also there might be special applications that you only get
when you pay).

I would like to end by quoting our boss Mike Williams (who spoke at
the end of the Erlang User Conference) when speaking about the future
success of Erlang/OTP, that it is up to us to tell everyone how great
it is, so:
               "Spread the word!"

-- Sebastian


PS.
Someone asked about the Erlang User conference, and yes it was
great fun and the proceedings and/or slides will be put up on the web
as soon as possible.