> From cpgh...@cordula.ws Tue Sep 21 12:34:21 2010 > Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:36:00 +0200 > Subject: Re: The nightmarish problem of installing a printer > From: "C. P. Ghost" <cpgh...@cordula.ws> > To: Polytropon <free...@edvax.de> > Cc: Robert Bonomi <bon...@mail.r-bonomi.com>, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > On Tue, Sep 21, 2010 at 5:43 PM, Polytropon <free...@edvax.de> wrote: > > On Tue, 21 Sep 2010 02:42:22 +0200, "C. P. Ghost" <cpgh...@cordula.ws> > > wrote: > > > > Keep in mind there are stupid things in the world as patents, > > intelellectual property, licensing fees and copyrighted secret > > codes. > > Yes, that's indeed the real problem. A legal, not a technical one. > > > At the moment there was a program (or any other kind of > > facility) that makes Winprinters accessible by *ANY* OS (not > > only FreeBSD, but maybe all BSDs and Linusi and Solaris and > > who knows what else), MICROS~1 would start violently screaming > > as someone is eating from their cake. Keep in mind that Winprinters > > are an important target platform for home users who PAY for > > "Windows" and PAY for a "compatible" printer. They pay once > > every two years or so. MICROS~1 and the printer manufacturers > > can't stand it if one uses their products too long, as long-term > > use does imply NO FURTHER SALES. And now imagine that a user > > can fully use all features of a formerly-Winprinter all-in-one > > ink pee copier scanner fax machine - where would be his need to > > buy a "Windows" to do that as he can now use FreeBSD for free? > > As far as I understand this, Microsoft doesn't manufacture those > winprinters, so why would they screem if those printers were able > to run on other platform too?
A) *THEY* developed the interface specifications. They license printer manufacurers to build to it. They _would_ obejct if somebody used their technology to compete against them. B) As it is, to _use_ one of those printers, you *HAVE*TO*BY* a MS O/S. if one could use those printers -without- a MS O/S, that is a 'provable' loss in MS O/S sales -- one sales loss for -each- non-MS system that has such a printer attached. > > You can even see it the other way: for every winprinter manufactured > (or, more precisely, for every windriver sold), Microsoft may get a > fixed share due to patent royalties from the manufacturer. So, suppose > a manufacturer sells more of his winprinters to BSD/Linux/Solaris/... > folks because we had this shim, it would translate to more patent > royalties to Microsoft too. So it is in Microsoft's interest not only NOT > to kick and scream, but actually to encourage those winprinters > by publishing the needed interfaces. It can only increase sales, and > they will get more kickbacks from those additional sales. > > > Of course, this consideration is very far away from any technical > > understanding - as typical for lawpersons who make money from > > bullshit. :-) > > That's for sure. ;-) > > >> But the basic idea remains: the interfaces on both sides of the > >> windriver binary blobs is pretty stable and (I think) not a secret at all. > > > > In that case, I would ask myself: Why hasn't it been done already? > > If your assumption was right, it would already work. As it currently > > does not work, I would check your assumption. :-) > > I don't know why it hasn't been done up to now. After all, this is nothing > but an exercise in mapping one set of interfaces onto another set of > interfaces. We've done this kind of interface matching with with the > Linuxulator, NDIS is another good example, and the Wine guys are > doing a great job too. I fail to see a compelling TECHNICAL reason > why Windows drivers in general (and windrivers in particular) couldn't > be docked to Unix systems. Of course, legal reasons are a different > matter. > > > Polytropon > > Magdeburg, Germany > > Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 > > Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ... > > Regards, > -cpghost. > > -- > Cordula's Web. http://www.cordula.ws/ > _______________________________________________ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
