On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 17:08:53 -0500 Jack disseminated the following: > I agree totally Randall. Perhaps I should have stated that it isn't > Linux's fault that Canon doesn't provide a Linux driver for it's > printer. It's a "chicken and egg" problem. As long as Linux is not > used by the vast majority, drivers won't be provided, thereby causing > many not to use Linux, etc. etc. etc.
Actually, it's a little more *deliberate* than that. MS has actually been found to have stifled cross-platform compatibility in many many many cases, even going so far as to force hardware vendors to sign illegal contracts which bind them only to MS. This ain't one o' those 'invisible hand of the market' Adam Smith things, this is more of a 'you wouldn't want anything to happen to your little hardware company now, would you?' type of deal. I think the US Justice Department called it 'illegal business practices' or something like that, but of course they're well known for prosecuting baseless cases against alleged 'racketeers' like John Gotti ;-) -- JoeHill / RLU #282046 / www.freeyourmachine.org 18:48:29 up 100 days, 19:40, 7 users, load average: 0.01, 0.03, 0.01 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "The rich control all the businesses, the newspapers and everything else. But they can no longer control the people." -- Margarita Mendoza, street vendor, Venezuela
____________________________________________________ Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com Join the Club : http://www.mandrakeclub.com ____________________________________________________
