Editorial
The year 2000 marks new beginnings, both for Generic NQS and me
personally.
With Generic NQS, we now have two very different versions.
v3.50.x will remain as our production release, and will probably
continue as the version to use for this year and next. We are
being very careful to ensure that only bug fixes (and useful but small
new features) are added to this release, to further ensure its
robustness.
v3.52.x, on the other hand, will mark the start of our new experimental
releases, as we begin the much-needed task of re-engineering Generic NQS
for the future. At the time of writing, the improved installation
software is almost done - we'll shortly be able to look at the new
configuration file format. The future plans
document has more detail about what we plan to do.
Maintenance of Generic NQS has also seen a new beginning. It's
now possible (through the use of Perforce - similar to CVS) for anyone
to have access to the master copy of the Generic NQS source
code. This means that I'm no longer the bottleneck I've been in
the last couple of years, and Generic NQS should move forward at a
faster pace as a result. It's also possible to log bug reports
online, via Bugzilla.
For me personally, the time has come to give up my business
interests, and find a job working for someone else. This is partly
caused by a UK Government tax change known as IR35, a particularly
unpleasant measure that attempts to tackle a reasonable aim with
unreasonable methods. It's also partly caused by Intel headhunting
my business partner - I think most of us would have jumped ship for the
package he was able to get ;-)
But the main reason is that Kristi and I are looking to buy a house
together as soon as possible. Sorting out the new house, and then
settling down in a new place are going to place great demands on my
time. And my sanity ;-)
Stu
January 2000
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