Re: rssh.el interactions with ange-ftp/efs
Yes. I've decided to avoid supporting ClearCase in Emacs, as a way of
assisting the developers of the free version control systems.
I think this argument turned around has gotten our friend Bill into
trouble with the government.
We are in no danger of violating antitrust law when we refrain from
supporting ClearCase. First of all, we do not have Microsoft's
monopoly power. But even if we did, the situation would not be the
same. Since our software is free, other people can make Emacs work
with ClearCase if they want to (and some have), even if we do not.
When Microsoft decides not to make Windows support some other package
or hardware, there is little anyone else could do. In other words,
Microsoft wields a kind of power that we, by making software free,
have eliminated from the equation.
I would like to end such exercise of power. That is what the free
software movement is for. The decision not to support ClearCase is a
step towards that goal.
Is there a GNU ClearCase in the works?
There is no GNU project for a "GNU ClearCase", but there is CVS. CVS
is not a part of the GNU project, but it is free software, so I try to
help it to advance and compete successfully with proprietary software.
When an occasion arises, I try encouraging people who now use
ClearCase to work with the CVS developers to make CVS as good as
ClearCase. At the same time, I try to avoid undermining CVS in favor
of ClearCase, which Emacs support for ClearCase would do.