Tom Good (tomg@nrnet.org)
Sun, 17 May 1998 08:43:44 -0400 (EDT)
For my UGD colleagues this thread is about a post of `2 comments'
(made on the Parallel Port Driver list) wherein it was noted that
1) Gateway is reissuing an Amiga next fall - with Linux installed.
2) Hardware vendors don't write linux drivers...
On Sun, 17 May 1998, Jonathan Baxter wrote:
> > Strongly support those vendors that are Linux friendly, and write
> > the ones that are not email, regular mail, faxes, whatever something to
> > the effect of,
> >
> > "Neat idea,
> > But i ain't interested, I am buying
> > xxxxxxx because they support Linux and
> > you do not."
If you hammer vendors with the above mentioned tools you often get
results...but the pressure must be sustained and the numbers must be
great. Loss of market share *and* evidence of potential profit are the
only motivators. Even then some companies are very self destructive.
You will find that lower level managerial types are cool but their
bosses are inept. Witness: Sybase and Progress, two databases I use.
Sybase tech heads negotiated with me for a while to port SQL Anywhere
to Linux (I offered to do serious alpha testing...and to submit detailed
reports and they were excited at first). Then it got killed off by
the big cheeses. At progress they refuse to port their db to linux even
tho they have a linux port of their webspeed product.
And get this: they are very aware that many of us are running progress's
SCO port on linux under iBCS emulation and that it works very well.
But they refuse to support this. They won't even hack an install script
for linuxers...or include one written by a linux weenie. Numskulls.
So, I run postgresql (linux port) on my boxes now - as my SQL engine it is
industrial strength (and is free versus $8000 for 25 users/1 developer).
For a programming language that approximates the 4GL that progress uses
I use perl (Tim Bunce's DBI, Edmund Mergl's DBD-Pg, Perl 5.004_4).
This alternative is quite viable and the upgrades are free. And
postgresql.org offers support. As does perl. And the perl community
and their support mechanisms blow away PEG (the Progress Email Group)
which is merely a group of cheerleaders (they actually use bandwidth to
debate fourth quarter earnings...severe bootlicking if I've ever seen
it...)
Jon - there are advantages to doing it yerself, mate. But, I would
expect that the dunderheads I rambled on against will eventually sit
up and take notice. What with Corel, Netscape and Caldera urging:
`Sit Spot sit...' (Except PROGRESS, they would rather go down with
the ship...)
Cheers,
Tom Good
Notorious Editorializer...
> At the risk of adding more noise, I have to confess that I
> do not understand why more vendors don't support Linux.
> After all, it must easily have the third-largest installed
> base out of all operating systems (lumping all MS OS's as one)?
>
> Jon
> -------------
> Jonathan Baxter
> Research Fellow
> Department of Systems Engineering
> Research School of Information Science and Engineering
> Australian National University
> http://keating.anu.edu.au/~jon
> Tel: +61 2 6279 8678
> Fax: +61 2 6279 8688
>
> > PS
> > I am an admin and am responsible for
> > thousands and thousands of machines, so
> > my buying recomendations actually mean something,
> > also this means I am in constant contact with
> > other admin types that are also in a similar
> > seat of responsibility, and I recommend to them
> > to not buy your product, but rather buy xxxxxxxx
> > instead because they support the Operating System
> > of Choice, and you do not.
> >
> > have a nice day
> > > > admin@linux&onlylinux.org
> > >
> >
> >
> > -- To unsubscribe, send mail to: linux-parport-request@torque.net --
> > -- with the single word "unsubscribe" in the body of the message. --
> >
> >
>
>
> -- To unsubscribe, send mail to: linux-parport-request@torque.net --
> -- with the single word "unsubscribe" in the body of the message. --
>
----------- Sisters of Charity Medical Center ----------
Department of Psychiatry
----
Thomas Good, System Administrator <tomg@q8.nrnet.org>
North Richmond CMHC/Residential Services Phone: 718-354-5528
75 Vanderbilt Ave, Quarters 8 Fax: 718-354-5056
Staten Island, NY 10304
-- To unsubscribe, send mail to: linux-parport-request@torque.net --
-- with the single word "unsubscribe" in the body of the message. --
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Wed 30 Dec 1998 - 10:17:45 EST