> > i mean, do the hardware people want their stuff supported or not? that's
> > the main question
> > some seem to choose the NOT.
>
> Hmmm. You're saying any one who disagrees with you chooses not to have
> their stuff supported; "if you don't agree with me, you must be stupid",
> right?
>
> Your approach probably will work, some percent of the time. I maintain
> that it won't show any real gain over trying to portray ourselves as
> professionals, and it will definitely hurt our credibility. Some vendors
> don't read anything sent to them, no matter what it is. Of those that are
> at least subject to *some* kind of influence, they will just kill-file
> whining and complaining. Well reasoned pleas (that clearly show that
> we're not Windows-folks, we don't want their code, just an interface) is
> *far* more likely to be read, and not make us look so vindictive.
Also, having written drivers with several highly paranoid companies for
commercial projects, I can tell you. This isn't going to change their minds.
First, many companies choose not to patent some of their neat tricks, since
doing so lets everyone know how it works. So, they keep it all wrapped in
secrecy. Giving out their databooks gives some serious clues into how their
chips work.
Secondly, some companies hide their mistakes. I know of one major video chip
out there that has one major "OOPS" in it, that I'm certain they don't want
to have to explain to everyone. (Yes, it's even worse than what you're
thinking)
Thirdly, FreeBSD is such a small market for most of these companies, that
most aren't going to care. Especially the multimedia guys, since their
lifespans are so short, and are doing quite well not helping out. A
different large graphic chip company only has 4 techs doing driver-level
and chip-level support, and that's only for people buying 100,000+ units/yr.
I don't think we could convince them that the relatively small FreeBSD
base(even if 100% of them used their product) is worth the effort. (I
realize that anyone working on a driver isn't going to likely need support
from them, but they still see it as a potential)
Lastly, in trying to sway users to FreeBSD, I think the last thing we need
is "A list of what we don't support". That'll only serve to scare away
people who happen to own that product.
If someone is thinking about trying to approach a company requesting
databooks, and getting nowhere, let me know off the list, and I'll try to
help. I've convinced a few companies so far, and know what they want to
hear.
Kevin
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