[CentOS] Re: Why shouldn't I expect more of CentOS/Linux?
Bryan J. Smith
b.j.smith at ieee.org
Mon Aug 22 14:05:44 UTC 2005
John Hinton <webmaster at ew3d.com> wrote:
> Almost 100% of computer devices have support written
> for Windows...
Insert: "written for [specific versions of] Windows"
> again... complain to the manufacturers as they are the
> ones who need to hear "I didn't buy your product
> because it has no available driver for a Linux OS,
> but instead bought 'other product' because support was
> available". The bucks talk, but with the competitive
> market in computer hardware, there is not a lot of money
> for writing drivers, so it will take a LOT of people
> complaining.
Agreed. The problem is the marketshare. It's a lot more
profitable for a "superstore" vendor to horde their
specifications (often using 100% host-based/CPU-driven), and
make their hardware Windows version-specific.
They are not interested in Linux because that would create
near-perpetual drivers that work for years. The idea of the
"superstore" product is to force your buyer into upgrading
every 2 years.
That's not conspiracy theory, that's 100% taken from
Microsoft's own Tier-1 OEMs, Gold Partners and, now,
distributors. Their buy into Best Buy was just their move to
extend this to retail.
> I actually think we Linux folks, are viewed as a bit of a
> fringe group by most of the manufacturers. :)
Actually, it's more about a "self-defeating fringe." Most
would actually not want Linux to succeed because GPL drivers
and the "superstore profit model" are _mutally_exclusive_.
;->
> I remember a few years ago, I think it was W2K server.. not
> sure... had a bug in it that forced a reboot at around
> 180 days.
You're thinking of the MS-DOS 7.x "timer" that lasted only 47
days in "Chicago" Windows 95/98/Me. It's a leagacy holdover
going back to PC-DOS 3.3 (I believe?). Because _all_
386Enhanced mode OSes (including Windows 95/98/Me) shunt back
into Real86 mode DOS several dozen times per second, this
would cause the system to hang.
--
Bryan J. Smith | Sent from Yahoo Mail
mailto:b.j.smith at ieee.org | (please excuse any
http://thebs413.blogspot.com/ | missing headers)
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