>> 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