[3272] in linux-net channel archive
Re: ET support for LINUX
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Doug Ledford)
Mon Jun 17 20:14:03 1996
In-Reply-To: <m0uVe9p-0000sRC@wittsend.com>
Reply-To: dledford@dialnet.net
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 14:32:00 CDT
From: Doug Ledford <dledford@dialnet.net>
To: "Michael H. Warfield" <mhw@wittsend.com>
Cc: Alan Cox <alan@cymru.net>, dennis@etinc.com, mike@lserv.conexio.co.za,
linux-net@vger.rutgers.edu
On 17-Jun-96 Michael H. Warfield wrote:
>>Alan Cox enscribed thusly:
>
>> > Its a shitty business. Any commercial vendor who focuses on the free market
>> > with a hardware only product is a loser company. Look at how much SDL has
>> > had to drop their prices in the last year or two to get people to buy their
>> > boards?
>
>> Isn't competition a wonderful thing. BTW I'm dying to see what SDL have
>> to say about you calling them "a loser company" on a public discussion list.
>
> Ah - give him a break. He's belly aching because there are more
>and more companies like mine that are openly refusing to do business with
>companies which don't support Linux when their competators do. So while
>he complains it's a shitty business, he's losing market share to his
>competators. Since he does not WANT to support Linux, this is his only
>recourse - to slam Linux and try and win back some wavering souls.
>
> I think it's apparent that since he's on these lists, he's hearing
>a significant level of interest. Reading his original articles, it sounds
>a lot like he's in that class of companies who are now dropping into a
>severe defensive posture. Let him whine. It lets us know that Linux
>really is main stream and that the chumps who aren't supporting it are
>really beginning to hurt. :-)
I really think one distinction needs to be made here. That is, there is a
significant difference between calling up Adaptec and saying "I need a driver
for your 3985 card under linux" and getting the response "Sorry, we don't
support linux" and calling up ET and saying "I need a card and driver for Frame
Relay and I want to use linux as the host machine" and getting the response "We
have a driver and we only support the stable kernel series." There is Linux
support here from ET. Whether that support is ALL that you want it to be is a
matter of what you expect and what you think a company should do.
As for the comments regarding the idea that ET should make their drivers free
software and release the source code. Dennis is right. I've bought several of
ET's boards, and I did so because of two factors. The unique (and valuable)
extras in the software, and support for the stable linux kernel series. ET
very well may have lost the sale to me if not for keeping their intellectual
property. That's business. (Certain hardware features did also entice me, but
not so much as the software)
And finally, regarding the arguments several people on this list have made
about ET not supporting the 1.3 kernel series. Let me quote to you from the
README file I have in the directory /usr/src/linux-1.3.57:
> Linux kernel release 1.3.xx
>
> Linux version 1.3 is a DEVELOPMENT kernel, and not intended for general
> public use. Different releases may have various and sometimes severe
> bugs. It is *strongly* recommended that you back up the previous kernel
> before installing any new 1.3.xx release.
>
> If you need to use a proven and stable Linux kernel, please use either
> 1.0.9 or 1.2.xx. All features which will be in the 1.3.xx releases will
> be contained in 1.4.xx when the code base has stabilized again.
Dennis and ET are not in the business of providing flaky hardware or software.
They support their hardware and software. In order for this to be possible, a
person can NOT be running around playing the kernel-of-the-week game. ET also
is not distributing a "DEVELOPMENT" driver. Their code has had quite a bit of
use, testing, debugging, etc. already. The majority of people that use this
type of hardware are probably (there are always exceptions) running in more of
a production environment anyway and really shouldn't be playing with the 1.3
kernel series. A point that I've picked up from Dennis' writings on this
thread, and which I think several people here have either missed or glossed
over as unimportant, is that Dennis IS very much aware of this market that my
attitude and actions represent. Not only that, but I AM in the market Dennis
is targetting. The people out there running 1.3.xx and dealing with all kinds
of kernel related issues, upgrading every other week, etc. are not his market.
He has every right to not want to play in that market. In all fairness though,
just because he doesn't want to play in the kernel-of-the-week market does not
mean he should get branded as not supplying support for the Linux OS when he
does.
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