>> I don't think that binary only drivers are well enough. >> Surely better than nothing but ... > > No fucking way. No support is FAR FAR better than a blob. Yes, really! > >> >> Don't forget that an open source team sometimes makes api changes >> that might break a "binary only" driver. And companies sometimes >> are slow in fixing. > > A.K.A. Never. And when they try it usually doesn't work right. Worst of > all > *you* have no clue how they kludged a so called fix together. Vendor code > is > usually pretty darn bad and I wonder why people never revolt against that. > >> >> Or the vendor did some mistakes in his own driver. >> First the paying customers are served. All the other folks >> (open source ..) surely will come last. > > Open source users paid for the hardware didn't they? Or because they use > an > alternative OS now they stole the hardware? This argument is retarded. > >> >> For some smaller corps supporting open source developers is >> simply a burden that costs time and so money. > > Docs are part of the development process. If they are not than you don't > want > that hardware. > >> >> I know this from a medium sized german company producing nice >> audio recording cards. >> >> It was impossible to get a card and documentation from them for >> a FreeBSD developers. And after weeks and months of asking via >> e-mail they decided finally to tell the truth that they don't >> want to support open source developers anymore, it makes too much >> work. They are unable to spend so much time answering open source >> developers questions although they got documentation. This experience >> they made with Linux developers. > > I call horseshit on this one too. Vendors do not have to support shit if > they > free their docs. NOTHING because the OS developers will do it for FREE > for > them. This argument is a steaming pile of shit with peanuts in it. > > It is this attitude that is killing Linux and FreeBSD. They will allow > anyone > to shit and piss in their sandbox and say "GREAT THANKS!" > > You people need to get through your heads that blobs are killing your > operating > system that you pretend to care so much about. Allowing blobs is the > equivalent of eating fast food; it is convenient now but 10 years from now > your > ass wont fit through the door. > > A man will fight harder for his interests than for his rights. > -- Napoleon Bonaparte > >> >> Andreas /// >> >> -- >> Andreas Klemm - Powered by FreeBSD 6 >> Need a magic printfilter today ? -> http://www.apsfilter.org/ >> >
Hi All! I agree totally with Mr. Peereboom. IMHO, BLOBS are not sustainable in the long run. If a manufacturer decides to retire a particular model (driver support included) while OS keeps on releasing newer versions (which include changes in the design and/or how things are implemented) one will be facing two scenarios: stasis or an unstable system. Both I believe is distasteful. I'd rather purchase hardware that will enable me to (ab)use it until it no longer works (MBTF deadend) using either NetBSD or OpenBSD :). Joseph A. Dacuma
