Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:15:39 -0400 From: Charles Shannon Hendrix <shannon@widomaker.com> To: freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Dell is asking what free OS to preinstall Message-ID: <20070315111539.02b962ef@daydream.goid.lan> In-Reply-To: <20070315015857.038a8821@localhost> References: <8a0028260703141026m3896b353y541a3d4ee4fb5d1d@mail.gmail.com> <20070314221439.79880.qmail@web50304.mail.re2.yahoo.com> <ef10de9a0703141550q4c90d399u87054ba5f0a415af@mail.gmail.com> <20070315015857.038a8821@localhost>
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On Thu, 15 Mar 2007 01:58:57 +0100
Jona Joachim <walkingshadow@grummel.net> wrote:
> On Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:50:22 -0500
> "Nikolas Britton" <nikolas.britton@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On 3/14/07, Tim Clewlow <tim1timau@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > --- Jeff Rollin <jeff.rollin@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > On 14/03/07, Eric Kjeldergaard <kjelderg@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > drivers.) For those of us using FreeBSD, there's not a
> > > > > substantial advantage to proprietary linux drivers over
> > > > > proprietary Windows drivers.
> > > > We
> > > > > go unsupported either way.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > Hmm, well I would hope that they would use hardware with open
> > > > source drivers only, in which case, yes, FreeBSD would be able to
> > > > take advantage. Even if, say, the OSD's are GPL'ed, that would at
> > > > least allow BSD users to inquire as to the specs from the OSD
> > > > developers.
> > > >
> > > > Jeff
> > > > --
> > > >
> > >
> > > The survey is asking "What OS do you want pre-installed?" - it is
> > > not asking "Do you want open source drivers". If we choose an OS
> > > that "might" be able to get the binary globs removed and use the
> > > source instead, then in my opinion, we are playing games with the
> > > survey that may not actually end up with us getting something we
> > > can use in FreeBSD.
> > >
> > > By contrast, if enough people vote for FreeBSD, then dell might
> > > actually offer to install FreeBSD.
> > >
> >
> > Stop right there. Dell has already decided to go with Linux and
>
> You can buy Dell Notebooks with FreeDOS preinstalled. Last time I
> checked FreeDOS was not a Linux distro.
> I can't see why you say that FreeBSD resembles Debian so much. If I
> were to choose a Linux distro which is somewhat like FreeBSD I'd say
> Gentoo but anyway there's no point to it.
> Ubuntu is going to win the survey anyway. However there is a point in
> voting for FreeBSD. There is hardware that is more or less well
> supported under Linux but not yet as well supported under FreeBSD
> (ipw3945 for example). If Dell see that a lot of FreeBSD users are
> interested in their products they may want to choose hardware that is
> well supported under most open source operating systems, not only
> Linux. This brings them new customers for little effort.
FreeBSD, on a good day with the wind at its back, is going to be a fractional
percentage of their user base.
They resisted supporting Linux despite heavy use among their customer
base for over 10 years.
A better idea would be to write to them separately about FreeBSD, and to tell
them how you use FreeBSD with their hardware already.
Maintenance of a Dell FreeBSD FAQ would probably do more to show them that
there is demand than hijacking an unrelated survey.
--
shannon | The grieving lords take ship. With these our very souls
| pass overseas.
| -- Exile
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