In-Reply-To: <43944F42.2070207@didntduck.org>
References: <1133779953.9356.9.camel@laptopd505.fenrus.org> <20051205121851.GC2838@holomorphy.com> <20051206011844.GO28539@opteron.random> <43944F42.2070207@didntduck.org>
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Message-Id: <E680A9FE-EBF5-468A-88A0-61D9C10937AA@indranet.co.nz>
Cc: Andrea Arcangeli <andrea@suse.de>,
       William Lee Irwin III <wli@holomorphy.com>,
       Arjan van de Ven <arjan@infradead.org>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
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From: Andrew McGregor <andrew@indranet.co.nz>
Subject: Re: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario
Date: Thu, 8 Dec 2005 20:14:22 +1300
To: Brian Gerst <bgerst@didntduck.org>
Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org
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On 6/12/2005, at 3:31 AM, Brian Gerst wrote:

> Andrea Arcangeli wrote:
>>
>> When we don't buy hardware without open source drivers, we send the
>> message to the shareholders that the management is causing them a  
>> loss.
>
> The problem with this statement is that Linux users are a drop in  
> the bucket of sales for this hardware.  Boycotting doesn't cost the  
> vendors enough to make them care.  And this does nothing for people  
> who are converting over to Linux, and didn't buy hardware with that  
> consideration in mind.

I happen to know of an orphaned wireless chip that might be revived  
if we can orchestrate orders for a few thousand cards.  It has a nice  
Linux driver that could be open sourced very easily, as so far as I  
can tell it doesn't derive from anything that wasn't BSD licensed in  
the first place... and the hardware performance is exemplary.  Anyone  
with significant purchasing capacity reading this?

Andrew

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