On Sun, Dec 14, 2003 at 07:34:05PM -0500, Paul Morgan wrote: > On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 17:26:49 -0500, alex wrote: > > [snip] > > we tell which ones? My guess is that there just hasn't been any incentive > > for manufacturers to 'bother' with even trying them on Linux. Could it > > be that > > they don't have any Linux knowledgeable people working for them?. > > If manufacturers were targeted with mass mailing, I'll bet you'll see > > "Wanted, > > Linux geeks' in their hiring notices. > > > > > > Who knows, perhaps if the machines available today were tested, there > > might > > be many that are fully compatible with Linux. There's no incentive to > > do this. > > > > If I were a PC manufacturer, I would answer Linux queries, "I have no > reason to believe that any of my PCs are not compatible with at least one > current release of Linux, but I can't guarantee that. I'll ship it to you > with Windows XP/2003/whatever installed, and what you do with it after you > get it is up to you. We don't currently provide Linux drivers, and we > don't provide Linux technical support."
But how much would it cost to drop a Knoppix disk in, make sure it boots, check that the network is accessible and sound comes out of the speakers, and then stick a "Linux-compatible" sticker on the machine? You could certainly still say that you don't provide drivers or support, and you could make sure the fine print says "tested with Knoppix version x.x: we offer no guarantee it'll work with other distros.") Most people who are looking for Linux compatibility will be satisfied with that: if it works under knoppix, then you know that there _are_ drivers for the hardware, even if you may have to do a bit of work to get 'em going under, say, Debian. (like my [EMAIL PROTECTED] D-Link NIC) Cheers! -- -------------------------------<<ScruLoose>>------------------------------- There are already a million monkeys on a million typewriters, and Usenet is NOTHING like Shakespeare. - Blair Houghton --------------------------<<Please do not CC me>>--------------------------
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