Apo to 1993 exw thn ey8unh ths texnikhs pleyras enos mikrou Paroxea eleu8erhs prosbashs, poy onomazetai Chester County InterLink (CCIL) sto Dytiko Tsester ths Pensylbania (eimai synidryths toy CCIL kai kataskeuasa to diko mas monadiko polyxrhstiko bulletin-board software --mporeite na to deite kanontas telnet sto locke.ccil.org. Shmera yposthrizei sxedon treis xiliades xrhstes se trianta grammes). Ayth h doyleia moy epetrepe eleu8erh prosbash sto diktyo epi 24wroy basews mesw ths 56K grammhs toy CCIL. in fact, it practically demanded it!
Epomenws, hmoyn ma8hmenos sthn xrhsh toy amesoy hlektronikou taxydromeioy. Gia kapoioys periplokoys logoys htan duskolo na syndesw me SLIP ton ypologisth poy exw sto spiti moy (snark.thyrsus.com) kai ton CCIL. Otan, telika ,ta katafera anakalyca oti prepei na syndeomai (telnet) periodika ston "locke" gia na paralambanw thn allhlografia moy. Ayto poy h8ela gia thn allhlografia moy htan na paradidetai ston snark etsi wste na mporw na eidopoioume otan ftanei kai na mporw na thn xeiristw xrhsimopoiwntas ola ta topika ergaleia moy.
H aplh prow8hsh mhnymatwn me to sendmail den douleye, epeidh o proswpikos ypologisths moy den einai synexws sto diktyo kai den exei statikh dieu8ynsh IP. Ayto poy h8ela htan ena programma poy 8a epairne ton elegxo panw apo thn SLIP sundesh moy kai 8a metefere thn allhlografia moy na thn paralabw topika. Hjera oti tetoia programmata yphrxan kai oti ta perissotera xrhsimopoiousan ena aplo prwtokollo poy legetai ROR(Post Office Protocol). Kai hmoyn arketa sigoyros oti yphrxe enas ROR3 serber poy symperilambanetai sto BSD/OS leitoyrgiko poy briskotan ston "locke".
Xreiazomoyn enan ROR3 client. Etsi, synde8hka sto diktyo kai brhka enan. Sthn pragmatikothta Brhka treis tesseris. Xrhsimopoihsa pop-perl gia ligo, alla elleipe mia shmantikh dynatothta, H dynatothta na metatrepontai oi diey8unseis twn paralambanomenwn mhnymatwn wste h dynatothta apanthshs [reply] na doyleuei swsta.
Idou to problhma: ypo8este oti kapoios poy legetai "joe" ston "locke" moy esteile ena mhnyma [mail] An paralabw to mhnyma ston snark kai meta epixeirhsw na apanthsw, to programma hlektronikou taxydromeioy 8a prospa8hsei na to steilei s' enan "joe" poy den yparxei ston snark. H taktikh metatrophs me to seri twn diey8unsewn pros apanthsh [Reply addresses] ston "@ccil.org" grhgora apodeix8hke polu duskolh.
Htan kati poy o ypologisths eprepe opwsdhpote na kanei gia mena. Kanenas, omws, apo toys yparxontes ROR clients den hjere pws! Ki erxomaste sto prwto mas ma8hma:
1) Ka8e kalh doyleia ston xwro toy logismiko arxizei me thn proswpikh fagoura toy programmatisth.
Isws ayto 8a eprepe na einai olofanero (apo palia exei eipw8ei, "H anagkh einai h mhtera ths efeureshs") alla, polu syxna, oi programmatistes jodeuoyn tis meres toys pasxizontas gia ena merokamato ftiaxnontas efarmoges poy oute xreiazontai oute toys endiaferoyn. Oxi, omws, kai ston kosmo toy Linux--pragma poy ejhgei giati h mesh poiothta toy logismikou gia Linux einai toso ychlh.
Ti nomizete, loipon; Oti bouthja sthn dinh ths kwdikopoihshs enos olokainoyrgioy ROR3 client gia na antagwnistei toys yparxontes; Me tipota ston kosmo! Erija mia prosektikh matia sta ROR utilities poy eixa sta xeria moy, kai anarwth8hka "poio ap' ola einai plhsiestero se ayto poy 8elw;".
2) Oi kaloi programmatistes jeroyn ti na gracoyn. Oi spoydaioi jeroyn ti na janagracoyn (kai na janaxrhsimopoihsoyn).
An kai den isxyrizomai oti eimai spoydaios programmatisths, prospa8hsa na moiasw tetoios. Ena shmantiko gnwrisma twn spoydaiwn programmatistwn einai h eggenhs toys tempelia. 3eroyn oti xreiazetai ena programma oxi gia na pernane oi xrhstes thn wra toys alla gia na exoyn kapoia apotelesmata kai oti einai sxedon panta eykolotero na jekinas apo mia merikh lush apo to na jekinas apo to mhden.
O Linus Torvalds, gia paradeigma, den egrace to Linux ap' thn arxh. Anti8eta ,jekinhse na janaxrhsimopoiei kwdika kai idees ap' to Minix, ena mikro Unix-oides leitoyrgiko gia mhxanes 386. Telika, o kwdikas Minix apomakrun8hke h janagrafthke entelws--oso, omws, htan ekei leitoyrgouse san h skala gia to brefos poy, telika, egine to Linux.
Sto idio pneuma, arxisa na caxnw gia ena ROR utility poy 8a eixe kalo kwdika, gia na moy xrhsimeusei san bash programmatismou.
H paradosh eleu8eroy kwdika toy Unix htan panta filikh pros thn epanaxrhsimopoihsh kwdika (gi' ayto ton logo to GNU project epeleje to Unix san basiko leitoyrgiko, para tis sobares nomikes epifylajeis gia to idio to leitoyrgiko). H koinothta toy Linux w8hse ayth thn paradosh sxedon sta texnologika ths oria. Prosferei se oloys terabytes eleu8eroy kwdika. Etsi, to na afierwneis ligo xrono gia na breis thn katallhlh efarmogh kapoioy alloy einai perissotero pi8ano na dwsei 8etika apotelesmata ston kosmo toy Linux, para opoydhpote allou.
Etsi egine kai sthn dikh moy periptwsh. Mazi me ayta poy brhka nwritera, h deuterh ereyna moy katelhje m' ena sunolo ennea ypochfiwn--to fetchpop, to PopTart, to get-mail, to gwpop, to pop-perl, to pimp, to popc, to popmail kai to upop. Ayto poy egkatesthsa prwto htan to 'fetchpop' toy Seung-Hong Oh. Ebala to xarakthristiko header rewrite s' ayto ki ekana kai kapoies alles beltiwseis tis opoies o dhmioyrgos toy symperielabe sthn ekdosh 1.9.
Liges bdomades argotera, omws, skontaca ston kwdika toy 'popclient' toy Carl Harris kai anakalyca oti eixa problhma. An kai to 'fetchpop' eixe merikes kales idees ston kwdika toy (opws thn leitoyrgia se katastash daemon), mporouse na diaxeiristei mono ROR3 kai htan erasitexnika kwdikopoihmeno (o Seung-Hong Oh htan enas ejypnos alla apeiros programmatisths kai ta duo ayta xarakthristika toy ekdhlw8hkan sto programma ayto). O kwdikas toy Carl htan kaluteros, alh8ina epaggelmatikos kai sta8eros, alla apo to programma toy eleipan polla shmantika kai mallon duskola sthn ylopoihsh toys xarakthristika poy hdh eixe to fetchpop (symperilambanomenwn ki aytwn poy kwdikopoihsa egw).
Na ta parathsw h na epimeinw; An ta paratousa, 8a eprepe na petajw ton kwdika poy eixa hdh ftiajei se antallagma mias kaluterhs programmatistikhs bashs.
Ena praktiko kinhtro gia na ta parathsw htan h paroysia yposthrijhs pollaplwn prwtokollwn. Apo ta prwtokolla poy xrhsimopoioun oi diametakomistes taxydromeioy to ROR3 htan to pio koino, alla oxi to monadiko. To fetchpop kai oi alloi antagwnistes toy den yposthrizan ROR2, RPOP h APOP kai skeftomoyn, hdh, na pros8esw IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol, to pio kainourio kai pio isxyro prwtokollo taxydromeioy) IMAP, mono kai mono gia thn eyxaristhsh moy.
Omws, eixa enan pio 8ewrhtiko logo gia na pisteuw oti, to na ta parathsw 8a htan kalh idea, kati poy ema8a polu prin to Linux.
3)"Sxediazeis na aporriceis kapoio programma; 8a to kaneis, outws h allws". (Fred Books, "The Mythical Man-Month", chapter 11)
H, gia na to pw alliws, synh8ws den katalabaineis to problhma mexri th stigmh poy ylopoieis mia lush. Thn deuterh fora isws jereis perissotera gia na prajeis swstotera. Etsi, an 8eleis na eisai swstos, etoimasoy na arxiseis ap' thn arxh toylaxiston mia fora.
Loipon (eipa ston eayto moy) oi allages poy ekana sto fetchpop htan h prwth prospa8eia. Etsi, ta parathsa.
Meta thn paradosh toy prwtoy synoloy dior8wtikwn paketwn kwdika gia to popclient [popclient paches] poy esteila ston Carl Harris stis 25 Ioynioy 1996, anakalyca oti eixe xasei to endiaferon toy gia to popclient ligo kairo prin. O kwdikas htan ligo skorpios, me mikra bugs edw ki ekei. Eixa polles allages na kanw kai katelhja grhgora sto oti to pio logiko pragma poy eprepe na kanw htan na analabw to programma.
Sxedon xwris na to prosejw, to project klimakw8hke. Den 8a katapianomoyn allo me ashmanta dior8wtika paketa [patches] gia toys yparxontes ROR clients. 3ekinhsa na doyleuw panw s' enan ap' aytous kai oi idees strimwxnontan mesa sto myalo moy kai hjera oti, pi8anon, na odhghsoyn se megales allages.
Se mia koyltoura logismikou poy en8arrunei thn apo koinou kwdikopoihsh [code-sharing], aytos einai enas fysikos tropos anaptyjhs enos sxedioy. Energousa ws ejhs:
4) An h symperifora soy einai swsth, 8a synanthseis endiaferonta problhmata.
H symperifora toy Carl Harris, omws, htan akomh pio shmantikh. Antilhf8hke oti
5) Otan ena programma pauei na s' endiaferei, to teleytaio soy ka8hkon einai na to paradwseis s' enan ikano diadoxo.
Xwris pote na xreiastei na to syzhthsoyme, o Carl ki egw jerame oti eixame ton koino stoxo na dwsoyme tis kaluteres luseis. To mono erwthma kai twn duo, htan an hmoyn katallhlos gi' ayth thn doyleia. Mia fora poy toy edeija oti hmoyn, antedrase gennaiodwra. Hlpiza na antidrasw ki egw etsi, otan 8a erxotan h seira moy._