Aaron wrote:
> my 2 cents > the pro audio field is a good example of a group of people making > drivers (ALSA) and apps that are beginning to make waves. I ended up > giving my pro audio card away because the manufacturer wouldn't even > help others make drivers. And this is something that only adds sales for > their boards. > The bottom line seems to be that we need to look before we leap and > check that linux drivers exist before buying, sigh. > I heard a rumor that some pro audio companies have prototypes of linux > versions of their software ready for roll out if their competition > releases a verion. As someone whose Lexmark printer has just run out of ink (and it's only about �30 more to get a decent new printer than replace the cartridges) I've been thinking about this. Realistically, the choice for a cheap inkjet running under Linux is between HP and Epson; Canon drivers are poor and Lexmark terrible or nonexistent. If Linux has 5 per cent of market share in OSs, I'd say that each of those manufacturers has less than 1 per cent Linux customers. Evidently HP (in particular) thinks that providing workable drivers for that fraction of users is worthwhile, but Lexmark (in particular) doesn't. I don't know, and will probably never know, the corporate motivations for these stances, but that they are so different is interesting. Alastair ________________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned for all viruses by the MessageLabs SkyScan service. For more information on a proactive anti-virus service working around the clock, around the globe, visit http://www.messagelabs.com ________________________________________________________________________
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