Misc. Ramblings

LRP is Dead. Long live the LRP. Anyone who has gone over to the Linux Router Project site in the last six months could have told you it was dead or at least dying. But it is with a heavy heart that I point to the official announcement of its demise here. For a long time I used an LRP-based firewall/router and never had a problem with it. I am sorry there will be no further development of this worthy project.

I note that many people talk about the OpenSource movement and how it is done without commercial inducement. But in the end, if any non-trivial project is to mature and prosper, money will have to come from somewhere. You can't eat code. You can't pay the rent with it. So if you can't find a way of getting people to give you money for it, you will stop working on it and instead work on something that does pay the bills (unless you are already independently wealthy).

This is reality. I'm not saying it's good or bad. It just is. If you want to start an OpenSource project as a hobby, be my guest. Otherwise, think long and hard about what your priorities are and what you want to get out of it.

Another One Bites the Dust. When it comes to politicians, it is always wise to watch what they do, not what they say. For example, our Republican governor, when campaigning for office, praised the work of the Legislative Auditor for rooting out waste and pointing an accusing finger at public programs that were not running well. In fact, one of the Governor's main blanks while running for governor was restoring trust in government. Now that she is in office, and is the target of these very same audits, the Governor wants to weaken the Auditor's Office and vetoed two bills designed to give the Auditor more funding authority and flexibility.

Ever the master of spin, our Governor said cutting the funding for the Auditor's Office would strengthen the office by reducing "waste." I am willing to give the Governor the benefit of the doubt, but I must ask Governor Lingle, how does this restore trust in government by reducing the number of audits?

Aloha!