Luke McKee wrote: > Is it right to make people pay for after-market Linux drivers from 3rd party > vendors - when the 3rd parties (Im talking Xig, MetroX, OSS, Mandrake, the > commercial CUPS driver ppl ... not to name names) just are people who have > "relationships" with the hardware manufacturer.
Whether people think there is a moral or ethical right involved depends on whether they are capitalists, marxist, anarchist etc and maybe on their religion. It's a personal thing. My own feeling is that that is perfectly fine as they ae offering a product to those that want to buy it. So long as they don't actually collude with a hardware manufacturer to deliberately force someone else out of the market. > I bought my OSS license in 97 and told it would last forever (from the sales > hype at the time). In 2000 they solicited more money just because I bought a > newer crystal card than what I previously had. Fine. You bought a lifelong licence to use what hardware or software you bought at the time. that is if you stayed with that original card you could use that and the supplied software forever. Ah but you bough a newer piece of hardware so you need a new licence for that. All's fair in love and war :-) > A few months ago I bought a > Lexmark Z12 only to find out Mandrake has the drivers but I have to give > them $150 for the boxed "commercial" version of their Linux distribution to > get cups drivers. I bought a Lexmark printer but I went for Postscript. I used the Lexmark drivers which I was able to download from their web site, install, and have a look at how they installed and what went where BEFORE I actually bought the printer. Being able to do that meant I bought a Lexmark (and the fact that the guy at Harris Tech looked up lots of Linux stuff for me to do with that printer - so I bought from them). The drivers allow you to use the printer to its full capability (eg duplex) but I could have still used it as a Postscript printer without installing any Lexmark drivers at all. The beauty of Postscript. I knew that the printer would work with Linux. > These 3rd party device vendors should just rack off. It should be free or > not at all. It isn't right to have "Linux hardware taxes" to replace the > Microsoft OEM tax when it eventually goes. Why do some vendors still need to > guard the API to their hardware? Just don't buy that hardware. Do your research before you buy hardware and - tell a vendor and a deal why you decidsed not to buy something if you were considering it. Give them feedback. I rang Harris Tech after a bought the printer and told the boss why I bought from them - it was because their staff took the time to tend to my Linux needs. But yes, in terms of hardware its something that Linux must watch out for. Hardware manufacturers might end up designing for specific OS's and leave Linux dead. Eg if they stop making printers with PS inside and put PDF inside. There is no support yet for PDF 5.0 in Linux. Mike -- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Michael Lake University of Technology, Sydney Email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Ph: 02 9514 1724 Fx: 02 9514 1628 Linux enthusiast, active caver and interested in anything technical. -------------------------------------------------------------------- UTS CRICOS Provider Code: 00099F DISCLAIMER ===================================================================== This email message and any accompanying attachments may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender expressly, and with authority, states them to be the views the University of Technology Sydney. Before opening any attachments, please check them for viruses and defects. ===================================================================== -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
