Reasons Why Hardware Vendors Should Support Linux

[gbowles]

Every customer that leaves Windows for Apple is one less with a need for non-proprietary PC components. What then will become of MSI, ABIT, ASUS? PC motherboards, and much of the internal offerings from these and other companies will suffer as well. As Microsoft trips over it's own feet with frequent buggy releases, Apple only has to uphold their reliable products to win people over.



If hardware drivers went open source, vendors could then focus on developing quality hardware. I can't tell you how many great devices have suffered from poor software support (Creative Labs on Windows, anyone?) I still refuse to buy a HP printer. The last one I owned had a huge driver package that installed numerous amateur-geared tools I could care less about.



Great product lifespan. I think it would be a benefit for vendors to not have to support older devices by creating drivers for every new version of the popular OS. How much manpower that could have been used on new development is burned on getting older hardware to work on Vista? If a kernel changes, and a device isn't supported, then allow the linux community to figure it out.



Watch trends. The recording industry sat on its laurels until the public "forced" it into creating a new product. Phone companies figured we'd always have a land line, and the Post Office probably thought their services were indispensable. Refuse to change or worse, attempt to force it to your will and customers eventually will bury you.



The "Secret Sauce" mentality that many companies have is soon to expire, there is way too much communication on this planet to think no one will figure you out. To build a business on this is unwise.

[Sef]

moved to community cafe.

[SerenityKill3r]

You just copied this from here: http://onemanarmy.ath.cx/?p=13

[juancarlospaco]

A nice way to expand your market +5% on middle of economical crisis.

Una linda manera de expandir tu mercado +5% en el medio de la crisis economica.

[earthpigg]

i have a question:

what reason do hardware vendor's NOT have to open-source the software that supports their hardware?

[cariboo]

Until we find out whether the op is the copyright owner of the material he cut and pasted from http://onemanarmy.ath.cx/?p=13, I am closing this thread.

Thread reopened after clearing up concerns.

[gbowles]

I am not sure why some vendors feel this way but here's a theory. I have a Motu Ultralite audio interface that probably will never receive support, mainly because they offer a pricey DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software package that exists on Mac. With Linux as rock solid as it can be, people may be more inclined to use Ardour instead. Same applies to Protools hardware. I also believe if drivers went open source, the community would have the ability to repurpose the device. I tend to think that drivers are a way of jailing a featureset to the user. Once the initial framework is built into a product, revisions and new features are something that can be sold back to the customer without having to build a new unit. Example would be the Sony PSP or the Iphone, it's a framework that could be tweaked in favor of the user if jailbroken. what incentive to buy the hot new thing if we could create it ourselves? With so many devices going the full software route, things will need to change. I believe that the software market is still in it's infancy, when a vendor has legal right to define what you can do with something purchased. Imagine you buy a car, then take it to a customizer that will "pimp your ride." Should the customizer be sued by the car manufacturer because they re-engineered their product? Sounds absurd, but this is what's happening in the software world.

[tgalati4]

PC hardware manufacturers seems to be taking cues from the fast food industry. Make it fast, cheap, wrap it in a shiny package, and push it through the window.

Look for older, standardized, business-grade computers and you will find better Linux support. Definitely, not shiny.

For audio hardware, M-Audio Delta 66 and related cards work well in Linux.

[bakedbeans4life]

Linux makes good use of existing and legacy hardware alike, why would any OEM support this?

[gbowles]

Thanks for the M-audio tip! I may just sell off my Motu as soon as I find something linux-able I can replace it with. The Ultralite was great because it uses firewire, which allows me to field record on a laptop and mix in my studio on the same interface. I also have a tascam 1082 that I use for control. Uggh.

[bubbhasdance]

This is a big reason, I think. Ubuntu, for example, could run on machines from pre-2005, it only needs 256 ram and a decent processor. Vista-built computers even needed an upgrade in some cases, mine sure did. Ubuntu wouldn't need any upgrades out-of-the-box, and due to it being free, why buy another computer? You could keep the one you bought for 5+ years, I bet. Less $ for vendors :)

Ubuntu is still the better OS, but I doubt companies will support OEM for it in the near future. It's unfair, but true.