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Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.apps,comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!nntp.coast.net!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans.net!ix.netcom.com!netcom.com!stephenk From: stephenk@netcom.com (Stephen Knilans) Subject: Re: Why to not buy Matrox Millennium Message-ID: <stephenkDotwzE.52L@netcom.com> Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <slrn4lbb5r.ai.mark@hunter.mas.org> Date: Mon, 25 Mar 1996 15:14:01 GMT Lines: 29 Sender: stephenk@netcom23.netcom.com Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.apps:13577 comp.os.linux.development.system:19891 comp.os.linux.x:27425 comp.os.linux.hardware:34139 comp.os.linux.setup:46865 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:276 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:2745 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:2529 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:15892 In article <slrn4lbb5r.ai.mark@hunter.mas.org> mark@hunter.mas.org (Mark Swanson) writes: >On 23 Mar 1996 17:34:09 -0600, Peter F. McDermott <pmcdermo@cs.utexas.edu> wrote: >>Some companies just don't get it. Valdimir Vukicevic on the XFree86-3D list >>requested information on Matrox's card (first message) and received the >>second message as a reply. Unless Matrox changes their mind on release of >>information, I suggest no one interested in running a free Unix system >>buy their products. >> > >I think their policy is just fine. One must respect a companies right to >protect intellectual property. Their attitude is snotty and arrogant, but >their policy shouldn't be too surprising. I should think that we (the Linux >community) have the intelligence to route around this. Why can't the XFree86 >team just distribute the binaries for certain cards? Do what you can for free >software but living or dying by it results in no support for this type of >hardware. There will ALWAYS be this type of hardware around that Linux >users would like to use. > > If they want to do this, FINE! GREAT! They should just STOP selling their card as an IBM VGA/SVGA compatible card, and make it OBVIOUS that it is NOT! As for the binary only deal? Let all simply avoid their card. Let THEM deal with their customers when their customers are angry because their card doesn't work! Steve