From: dmw@prism1.prism1.com (David Wright) Subject: Re: Is this becoming comp.linux.advocacy? Date: 10 Aug 1993 13:37:15 GMT
>>>>> On 6 Aug 93 15:41:46 GMT, evan@telly.on.ca (Evan Leibovitch) said:
Evan> X server choices on Linux: XFree86
Evan> X server choices on R4: Stock servers from the OS vendor, XFree86, SCGS,
Evan> Pittsburgh Powercomputing, MetroLink, maybe others.
I agree with most of what you said, but I believe that MetroLink has a
version of X for Linux that is quite good for about $200.
Evan> No matter how big the Linux installed base gets, its users will be
Evan> perceived as those who aren't interested in paying for software, and
Evan> resist software supplied without source. So commercial vendors will
Evan> have little interest in these users, no matter what their numbers.
You are also overlooking one thing. Companies sell to who is buying
their software. There is work underway to get Linux to run iBCS binaries,
so soon it may be (relatively) unimportant whether the software vendors
directly support Linux, much as in the case of Coherent. The one remaining
problem would of course still be device drivers which have to "know" what
system they are running on. But still, if any sizeable number of people send
in the registration cards for software with the OS listed as "Linux", I
think you would start seeing better support even at the device-driver
level (after all, the people selling hardware don't make money off the
device drivers anyway).
Evan> But don't go spreading the manure that suggests Linux will ever be taken
Evan> seriously by any significant number of commercial application or driver
Evan> vendors. There's absolutely no basis for anyone to believe this except
Evan> evangelical fervor.
Toned down a bit, I agree with you. Sometimes it seems like those of
us who use Linux get carried away. As someone who SELLS SCO-based systems,
and longs to be able to replace them with Linux systems, but CAN'T because
of the very problems you mentioned, I get kind of annoyed by other Linux
users myself.
Dave