Garbage
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| rijelkentaurus May 22, 2007 3:43 PM EDT |
First, the Linux fanboi in my says, "Windows isn't an upgrade to Linux, yo!" And then the rest of my brain (there ain't always a lot past the fanboi, unfortunately), says that this article is a bunch of sensationalist ramblings. He obviously lacks confidence in Dell, and he has no interest in giving them a chance to meet the demands of the Linux community. I understand the skepticism that people have, but Dell doesn't want to dive in head first and lose a bunch of money, that's not their game. Yes, the hardware is limited, but it's going to work with Ubuntu (and therefore whatever it is you want to use...such as PCLOS or Vector or CentOS or...or...or...). It may have problems for those who want 100% Free drivers, but that's not Dell's fault. If they are successful enough at selling these things, they'll actually be able to exert a little pressure and perhaps get more drivers opened up. That's why we don't have open drivers for our vid cards and our wireless...we don't have the market clout (well, I think we do, but we're totally unorganized). Dell has that sort of clout, and in the end this could be a giant boon for the penguin. Stop being so negative...be skeptical yet open minded. |
| NoDough May 22, 2007 5:31 PM EDT |
I agree. It would seem that if Dell offered the system in a solid gold case for $1, this guy would complain about the choice of color. |
| Sander_Marechal May 22, 2007 10:14 PM EDT |
I think it should be noted that Dell has been quite successful on the server front in working with hardware manufacturers to open up. When Dell started selling Linux servers they needed closed drivers. Not anymore today. Sure, that's not just Dell's work but it did happen. We're talking about only two or three pieces of hardware here . 1) The modem. My guess is that in the next generation, Dell will have it replaced by a modem with free drivers. 2) The wireless modem. Only the microcode firmware isn't free so that ain't bad. There are other cards out there so Dell might switch in the next generation. 3) Video. Intel is already free. If last week's message about ATI is correct then hopefully within a year we will have free ATI 3D drivers. If that happens I don't think Nvidia will be far behind. This is the only part where Dell really needs to work with the vendors. |
| bigg May 23, 2007 4:27 AM EDT |
> Only the microcode firmware isn't free so that ain't bad. IIRC, Intel will be changing that as well. |
| softwarejanitor May 23, 2007 8:23 AM EDT |
> 1) The modem. My guess is that in the next generation, Dell will have it replaced by a modem with
> free drivers. How many people even care about modems anymore? I haven't actually used one in years... It would be great if Dell got the chip vendor to release specs or a driver for that modem, or switched to a chip that was supported, but if they don't I can't see that this will be a big issue for very many people. The wireless card is a bigger deal because I think most people will want to use it, but its more of an inconvenience than anything because I think few care that the firmware isn't completely free. And if worst comes to worst, in today's Fry's ad (Austin, TX) a freely supported (the excellent madwifi drivers) PCMCIA 802.11g card made by Airlink101+ (Atheros chipset) is on sale for $8.99 with no rebate required. Also most people don't even care about the ATI and nVidia drivers being proprietary, and it is dirt simple if you follow the directions on the Ubuntu wiki to install them. If ATI is opened up by AMD that is great... hopefully they will fix (or let the community) the performance and stability issues. Hopefully as you mention, Dell will encourage nVidia to follow suit. I do wish that Dell would at least offer to pre-install the proprietary ATI and/or nVidia drivers and the Intel firmware if people want them (offer an "only free" and a "mostly free" image option), but I can understand given the logistics of building large quantities of systems why they might not want to. |
| bigg May 23, 2007 8:46 AM EDT |
> Also most people don't even care about the ATI and nVidia drivers being proprietary, and it is dirt simple if you follow the directions on the Ubuntu wiki to install them. Most people using ATI or NVidia cards probably don't care about free software. If they did they wouldn't be using those cards. I don't know of any reputable study that showed most Linux users don't care about software freedom. You're completely missing an important part of the action here. The directions on the Ubuntu wiki are there for the Ubuntu distribution. Not all Linux users use Ubuntu. |
| helios May 23, 2007 11:30 AM EDT |
You're completely missing an important part of the action here. The directions on the Ubuntu wiki are there for the Ubuntu distribution. Not all Linux users use Ubuntu. No...I think what was, or should be implied here is that to many, Ubuntu IS Linux. I work now as a manager in a division that provides Tech Support to Server administrators. The "company email" is web based and while most people in the shop are windows oriented, many are either newly converted over to Linux or are toying with it now. There is much talk in the emails about Ubuntu. By overwhelming numbers, they are using Ubuntu. The Buntu Bandwagon has moved thru there a while back it appears. When I mention that there are other Linux Distros, some of them look at me like I was crazy. By lesser numbers, they also have no idea of what KDE is. h |
| tuxchick May 23, 2007 11:41 AM EDT |
Our top story tonight: Buntu Bandwagon Barges Bossily Beyond its Betters! Lazy Luser Linuxes in a Lather! Forums Filled with Foam! Story at six. |
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