Closed-spec hardware vendors (was: Re: Gnash - GNU Flash Player / John Gilmore)

Ben Finney ben at benfinney.id.au
Tue Jan 3 23:02:33 UTC 2006


On 03-Jan-2006, Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:
>    I wish there were some clear solution to this issue....
> 
> There is, simply not supporting companies that refuse to give
> specifications to their hardware, and nagging them to release these
> specs.

Which is not a solution unless everyone else does the same.

> The OpenBSD community has been very sucessfull in this regard, and
> it is a bit of a shame that the GNU project, the FSF and FSFE have
> been a bit lacking.

How can "the GNU project, the FSF and FSFE" do more in the "not
supporting [proprietary 3D hardware companies]" regard? AFAIK, none of
them "support" those companies already. Is there something else
"lacking"? If so, you haven't stated it.


As for Linux, that's certainly a sore spot. Many kernel developers are
happy dealing with the devil. Fortunately, there are also many like
Greg Kroah-Hartman:

    <URL:http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/stable_api_nonsense.html>
    <URL:http://zgp.org/pipermail/linux-elitists/2005-October/011317.html>
    <URL:http://www.kroah.com/log/2005/11/21/>

-- 
 \           "I was in a bar the other night, hopping from barstool to |
  `\     barstool, trying to get lucky, but there wasn't any gum under |
_o__)                                    any of them."  -- Emo Philips |
Ben Finney <ben at benfinney.id.au>
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