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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.hawaii.edu!news.uoregon.edu!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!news-res.gsl.net!news.gsl.net!news-dc.gsl.net!news.gsl.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-dc-10.sprintlink.net!news.unicomp.net!cbbrowne From: cbbrowne@dantzig.brownes.org (Christopher B. Browne) 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,misc.consumers Subject: Re: Why not buy Matrox Millennium Date: 11 Aug 1996 21:53:38 GMT Organization: UniComp Technologies International Corp -- Internet Service Lines: 59 Message-ID: <slrn50sl8p.3ld.cbbrowne@dantzig.brownes.org> References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <stephenkDvp30A.366@netcom.com> <0ns8fAAvbkDyEwNQ@dode.demon.co.uk> Reply-To: cbbrowne@conline.com NNTP-Posting-Host: digital94.unicomp.net X-Newsreader: slrn (0.8.8.3 (BETA) UNIX) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.apps:20218 comp.os.linux.development.system:29598 comp.os.linux.x:37772 comp.os.linux.hardware:47262 comp.os.linux.setup:68236 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:1025 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:4580 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:4355 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:25327 misc.consumers:94198 In article <0ns8fAAvbkDyEwNQ@dode.demon.co.uk>, Jerzy A Mlotkiewicz wrote: >In article <87viesy5z0.fsf@xeno.xinside.com>, Thomas Roell >Surely the aim of the Xfree project is to provide good software without >having to charge the grossly over-inflated pricings that come with >buying software from a company whose sole aim is to make a profit.. Definitely an inflammatory sort of statement; please consider that: a) The person you're responding to works for X-Inside, and thus is in little position to speak on behalf of the XFree86 project. b) You're presuming that all corporate ventures have no possible goals other than "making profits." That's generally one of the more important requirements, but it is by no means the only aim. If X-Inside's sole aim was "to make a profit," they'd probably be doing MS-Windows-profit-taking. (To make an inflammatory alternative statement.) I don't consider their pricing outrageous or over-inflated. The software appears to be worth the prices charged. They may be reaping something of a windfall from the fact that Matrox has had NDA's out on the Millenium cards that have lately been very popular. I doubt that there would have been drivers yet for the Millenium for XFree86 had NDA not been an issue. Yes, XFree86 provides an alternative that has lower cost; this means that the folks at XInside and other such vendors have to work hard to ensure that they add features and functions that ensure that it's worth paying $100 for it. >If someone has to buy an X server rather than get it for free or some >time spend downloading it, it would be better to buy it from Sun >Microsystems... Solaris for example, will be fixed immediately should >there be a bug found by a user.. fixes have been known to be out VERY >quickly.. And presumably XInside "spits" on users, refusing to fix problems? There are some issues that seem to relate to machines with insufficient RAM to work well, and that relate to exportability. If XInside treats customers badly enough, presumably they'll go elsewhere. I haven't seen mistreatment so far. >Apart from that.. who needs to pay for an X server anyway? Xfree is >very capable. I use it almost every day on a pc running Linux with only >a 1 mb cirrus logic 5440M card - no flicker problems at all. XInside does have a streamlined configuration process, which is attractive to people that find that aspect to XFree86 to be *a pain.* Commercial vendors have offered additional X functionality such as OpenGL that XFree86 doesn't offer. -- Christopher B. Browne, cbbrowne@unicomp.net, chris_browne@sdt.com Web: http://www.conline.com/~cbbrowne SAP Basis Consultant, UNIX Guy Windows NT - How to make a 100 MIPS Linux workstation perform like an 8 MHz 286