*BSD News Article 75535


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From: cavenerl@nbnet.nb.ca (Lance Cavener)
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: Tue, 06 Aug 1996 13:38:19 GMT
Organization: Novacon Canada
Lines: 41
Message-ID: <4u7hv4$jcd@agate.nbnet.nb.ca>
References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <4j36ev$prl@news.Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE> <32023A5E.7623@alaska.net> <stephenkDvp30A.366@netcom.com>
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On stardate Tue, 6 Aug 1996 02:31:22 GMT, stephenk@netcom.com (Stephen
Knilans) sent holographic email and wrote:

>In article <32023A5E.7623@alaska.net> hmmm <hmmm@alaska.net> writes:
>>> >information, I suggest no one interested in running a free Unix system
>>> >buy their products.
>>> 
>>> I perfectly understand Matrox's decision not to give away details on
>>> their cards and programming interface. They are afraid of reverse
>>> engineering - as are many of the pc card vendors - did you ever care to

>I have reverse engineered software AND hardware!  BELIEVE me, you DON'T 
>need software to reverse engineer hardware!  Look at wozniak!  HE decided 
>to get an IBM controller so he COULD cheat, but he DIDN'T!  He had problems 
>with HIS, and found that his did MORE than the IBM one!  SO, using info from
>both, he designed what came to be known as "the woz machine"!  He just looked
>at the board!   

 Well good for you. You know how to remove chips. I buy products for
the QUALITY not to see if I can reverse engeneer it or screw it all
up. And Matrox makes the best/fastest cards, and they last long: thats
all that counts. Who gives a shit if you don't have full schematics of
their cards? Its THEIR choice weither or not to give out details - its
the same issue as source code, if you buy Mortal Combat 10, should you
be entitled to the source too? No. There you go. I don't know about
you people, but up here in Canada, not giving out schematics is
perfectly legal.



--
,..............................................,
|               Lance Cavener                  | 
|            cavenerl@nbnet.nb.ca              |
|            cavenerl@novacon.com      	       |
`----------------------------------------------'
|  "The Apple Macintosh is for people who get  |
|   confused with more than 1 mouse button"    |
|	        Former lead programmer of OS/2 |
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