>===== Original Message From "Daniel Berger" <djberg96 / hotmail.com> =====
>Hi all,
>
>I would really like to see an ActiveState Ruby and it could happen with your
>help.  Why?  Free advertising.  I think one of the reasons for Python's
>growing popularity is the fact that ActiveState has a Python distribution
>(the other reason being O'Reilly).  If ActiveState were to create a Ruby
>distribution, it would help "get the word out" regarding Ruby *and* create
>an easy, *supported*, installation package.  Ruby would become more popular,
>gain more adherents, more contributions would be made to the RAA, O'Reilly
>publishers (and others) would be more likely to publish books on Ruby, etc,
>etc.

I wouldn't.

And frankly I am saddened that people would.

>If you agree, please send an email to:  Support / ActiveState.com, and express
>to them how you would like to see an ActiveState Ruby distribution.
>
>If not, well then, ignore this message and move on!

How about I instead explain why I don't want this?

There is persistent speculation in the Perl world that
ActiveState has done a lot to pollute the development process.
Whether or not that is true (I have heard stuff which is
suggestive both ways) it is unquestionable that their
desire is to make themselves the definitive source of all
things Perl/Python, and to provide that in binary format.

While I support having easy binary distributions available, I
dislike intiatives to try to make people depend on binary
distributions.  The entire point of open source (and many of
the benefits) are lost when people are not encouraged to have
and use the source.

ActiveState in particular is a company that I distrust.  I am
sure that as Ruby grows, they will show up.  But it won't be
something that I particularly look forward to.  And if they
start their usual games of compiling patched sources with
specific compilers and not letting people know what the
patches are, well I understand why they do that but I don't
like it.  Not One Bit.

Nor do I trust the size of the investment that Microsoft has
made in them.  Call me paranoid, but I have to wonder to what
extent Microsoft has decided on ActiveState as a way to
address the ways in which open source is challenging their
business model...

Cheers,
Ben