On Tue, 15 Aug 2000, Phil Pennock wrote:
> This does suggest one possible problem though. The Python community
> found itself addressing a similar question about Guido van Rossum. What
> happens if Philip Hazel gets run over by a bus tomorrow? Who is
> familiar enough to Exim to pick up the role? Is this sort of longer
> term stability something which should be addressed before committing
> things to paper?
This is a relevant point. Even if I escape the bus, I do hope to retire
one day, but at least when that happens I should know in advance, and be
able to plan a handover.
> Nothing personal Philip - I'm hoping for a long life for you, because I
> trust your coding more than I'd trust a bunch of five people chaotically
> committing fixes. But it is perhaps something to ponder.
Your confidence is appreciated. But in 10 years' time I certainly expect
to be retired.
> After all,
> there's a very strong chance that 50 years from now Exim will still be
> in use as an MTA. There's no reason why not, as long as it keeps up
> with change. The Internet's here for keeps.
I hope that something much better would be here 50 years from now. (I
certainly won't be!) I have written software that lasted 20 years, but
in my experience most software gets superseded. Better mousetraps and
all that.
--
Philip Hazel University of Cambridge Computing Service,
ph10@??? Cambridge, England. Phone: +44 1223 334714.
