IBM Linux/390 patches

[Peter Schulte-Stracke]

(1)    The Linux/390 patches published by IBM come with their own 
       binutils, gcc, libc, prior and public work notwithstanding.

(2)    Work on a GCC for the IBM mainframes started in the 1970s as
       witnessed by the gnu-architecture string `i370', predating the
       current ESA/390 subarchitecture. We were ourselves surprised to
       learn that the ELF architecture identifier is EM_S370 = 9,
       registered in connection with Amdahl's UTS long ago.
       
(3)    When he started working on the Linux/390 project, Linas Vepstas
       ( http://linas.org/linux/i370 ) took over the machine
       dependant portions of binutils and gcc, investing much work
       into it. 
       
(4)    I request the IBM personnel to abide by the rules and to submit
       their patches to the respective maintainer, and to merge them 
       where appropiate with our work; in particular for binutils and
       gcc I see no reason not to do so.  

(5)    The disdain demonstrated by the IBM employees cannot but hurt
       our community, where the most exacting duties are executed for
       nothing but just the consideration which is so utterly absent
       from their conduct.  One surely cannot expect IBM or any
       organization like it to act spontanously according to the
       rules of quite a differing game; they need to be told and learn
       to do so. This is as inevitable as it is often painful.

       With kind regards,
	    
	    Yours, sincerly
		     
		     Peter Schulte-Stracke