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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!newshost.telstra.net!asstdc.scgt.oz.au!metro!metro!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!gt-news!cc.gatech.edu!cc.gatech.edu!byron From: byron@cc.gatech.edu (Byron A Jeff) 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 Subject: Re: Why to not buy Matrox Millennium Date: 28 Mar 1996 06:28:15 GMT Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology - College of Computing Lines: 71 Message-ID: <4jdbhv$eji@solaria.cc.gatech.edu> References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <4j6msk$ho@darkstar.my.lan> NNTP-Posting-Host: gemini.cc.gatech.edu NNTP-Posting-User: byron Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.apps:13747 comp.os.linux.development.system:20139 comp.os.linux.x:27792 comp.os.linux.hardware:34569 comp.os.linux.setup:47550 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:319 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:2818 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:2598 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:16137 In article <4j6msk$ho@darkstar.my.lan>, Alexander Sanda <alex@darkstar.ping.at> wrote: >In article <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> >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 can understand this behaviour. Matrox has developed one of the most >sophisticated graphics board for the PC. The Millenium seems to be the >fastest card available today. They want their technology not to be >stolen by competitors - I think, it's not so hard to understand. It's very hard to understand. We could care less about how the hardware does its job. We want to know how to talk to it. That's all. To give an analogy: by the same argument since I know how to program a Pentium, I can build a Pentium from the documents that describes how it is programmed. Doesn't make much sense does it? Hardware generally cannot be reverse engineered from the specifications of the interface to the hardware. Imagine a black box that converts a stream of numbers into another stream of numbers: 1,2,3,4 -> Black Box -> -3, 78, 3.145926, 0 Tell me what's in the box? This is what we're supposed to be able to do given the interface specifications right? I don't think so... > >I'am using the millenium with the Accel-X server, and I'am very happy. >It's incredible fast and very stable. I get support from Xinside, >driver updates etc. Hmmm. Xinside folds. Or is sold to another company, or any other of a million possible disasters. Linux changes its executable format again. Whoops?! you now have a non-functioning piece of metal for a video card under Linux. I take it you also have accellerated 3D support too? > >I've made my decision for the matrox, with linux in mind, and with the >knowledge that there will never be free drivers. Thats o.k for me. It's >not ok for others, very simple to understand. But there are options: >Get a XFree supported graphics board and you'll be as happy as I am. No we won't. That's the point. The Matrox board has something special. However the specialness is limited to the hardware, not the company, drivers, or support. Unfortunatly while I can talk to the company and the support, I cannot talk to the hardware. It's a lose lose all around. I lose out on the Matrox board and they lose out on my funds. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense for a business, does it? BAJ -- Another random extraction from the mental bit stream of... Byron A. Jeff - PhD student operating in parallel - And Using Linux! Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332 Internet: byron@cc.gatech.edu