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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!vic.news.telstra.net!act.news.telstra.net!imci3!imci4!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.reston.ans.net!newsjunkie.ans.net!newsfeeds.ans.net!interaccess!thymaster!joeg From: joeg@thymaster.interaccess.com (Joe Grosch) 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: 3 Apr 1996 07:45:25 GMT Organization: InterAcces, Chicagolands best Internet Provider Lines: 69 Message-ID: <4jtaal$6cr@nntp.interaccess.com> References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <4j3muv$34m@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu> <4j3v64$1rq@virtech.aib.com> <4j7dg2$t3t@moacs11.moacs.indiv.nl.net> <4j8s8a$q8b@newstand.syr.edu> Reply-To: joeg@truenorth.org NNTP-Posting-Host: thymaster.interaccess.com X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.apps:13995 comp.os.linux.development.system:20478 comp.os.linux.x:28277 comp.os.linux.hardware:35125 comp.os.linux.setup:48514 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:405 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:2931 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:2703 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:16454 Mark Levitt (melevitt@syr.edu) wrote: >On 26 Mar 1996 01:24:34 +0100, Waldi Ravens wrote: >>In article <4j3v64$1rq@virtech.aib.com>, >>David E. Wexelblat <dwex@aib.com> wrote: >>> In article <4j3muv$34m@cville-srv.wam.umd.edu>, >>> Marat Fayzullin <fms@wam.umd.edu> wrote: [ DELETED ] > This is not, contrary to what everyone seems to think, illegal. Even in the >US. It IS however, probably a violation of the license agreement that comes >with Matrox's drivers. It's not a criminal act. It may be actionable in >civil court though as a contractual violation. > HOWEVER, as has been pointed out, you don't need to reverse engineer the >drivers! What would that get you anyway? We'd know how to write drivers for >Windows 95? No, what needs to be done is to figure out what code to use for >the hardware. We wouldn't be using any Matrox code and they don't have the >right to say you can't use their hardware in a specific way! It's a simple >black-box problem. For given input, what is the output? >>> 2) You will make no friends in the XFree86[TM] community by doing so. We >>> will do all in our power to stop you. >>I'm very impressed by your threads. I assure you, I would be most unhappy >>not to make friends with a community that posseses final wisdom and rules >>the universe. Undoubtedly all dutch judges will fall on their knees and >>beg forgiveness, when they realize they sinned against the Law of the >>allmighty XFree86 Community, whose name shallt not be spoken in vain. > Look, you have to understand XFree86's position. They are trying to get >cooperation from various hardware manufacturers. The odds are, most of these >manufacturers won't make much money from Linux, relative to windows and dos. >So, I can understand XFree's desire to not piss anyone off. It makes it less >likely that other card makers will be cooperative. > Matrox will come around the same way Diamond did. When I first installed >Linux, all the docs and howtos said don't bother trying to use a diamond card, >they won't work. Well, now they do. Pressure can be brought to bear on >Matrox, just as it was on Diamond. Start writting letters (paper ones) to >Matrox's president. Be polite and tell them how much money you would spend on >their products, if only their was support for it. > Think about all the Linux ISPs that I'm sure Matrox would want to sell >hardware too. Make the point that, yes you can use Xinside's server, but it's >just easier to buy a different card. Mention in the letter the other card you >will buy. > This is probably the best way to get them to open up. I agree with Mark Levitt, Matrox will come around like Diamond did and Adaptec before them. We in the free Unix and XFree86 community must educate these companys about what are our concerns. If you really want to get Matrox or any company to think twice about their policy put your money where your mouth is. Buy the competitors product and then send a polite letter the Matrox, or who ever, explaining why you did NOT buy their product. Make sure you include a photostatic copy of the receipt. If the president of Matrox got enough letters like that they would revist their policy. Josef -- Josef Grosch - joeg@truenorth.org | "Laugh while you can, monkey boy." http://www.interaccess.com/users/joeg | - John Warfin - ========================================================================== Keeper of FreeBSD ported list - FreeBSD 2.1.0R http://www.interaccess.com/users/joeg/ported.html ==========================================================================