-----Original Message----- From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Timothy Sipples Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2007 11:25 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Mainframe vs. "Server" (Was Just another example of mainframe costs.) <SNIP>
It depends on the distribution of course, but the following popular Linux drivers are closed source: NVIDIA (video) ATI (video) LSI Logic (storage) some software-based modems (e.g. Lucent) some ISDN drivers There are others as well. Some distributions (e.g. Debian, Ubuntu) don't include these drivers at all, and you have to go fetch them on your own if you want/need them. Others include them as standard Web deliverables, and still others (e.g. Linspire) include them in their distributions. For NVIDIA and ATI there are open source alternatives, although functionality may be more limited with the alternatives. <SNIP> Just so we are clear here, this can be a catch-22 situation. If you have a notebook/laptop and it needs one of the aforementioned drivers, just how do you boot so you can install it? Being a Linspire (and before that Lindows) user I can tell you that ATI drivers are a pain in the neck for this very reason. And it is one of the reasons that I'm going to pure Debian (Linspire wants you to get married to CnR (Click-n-Run), and so DON'T provide a C/C++ compiler or kernel source until you CNR it). Let's put this in a "mainframe" perspective: Imagine that you have decided on a specific type of graphics display and you have only bought those, and you must install a specific driver to use them. So you need to install these during system build, but you can't install a z/OS servrpac unless you can see what you are doing... But these issues aren't addressed when you buy an "open" system. And they are accepted as just the way it is for the "open" systems. Because of lack of standards for hardware interface, software behavior, install of drivers and other software, the hidden cost of ownership/computing can really bite you. Later, Steve Thompson ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
