Why FreeBSD not popular on hardware vendors

[Chad Perrin]

On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 05:00:11PM -0800, prad wrote:
> On Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:28:13 -0700
> Chad Perrin <perrin at apotheon.com> wrote:
> 
> > Can we stop trying to dissuade people
> > from improving FreeBSD, and from advocating for improvements?
> > 
> i don't think that's really what is happening, chad.
> i think there is just some disagreement as to what is considered an
> improvement.

So . . . are you saying that increased support for 3D accelerated
graphics is not an "improvement", and should therefore not be considered
a worthy goal?


> 
> > Why does everybody seem
> > so eager to assume that FreeBSD isn't, and shouldn't be, a good
> > desktop system?
> >
> from what i see, that isn't the concern. the concern specifically seems
> to be twofold:
> 
> 1. that freebsd not lose its integrity in an attempt to support
> certain wishes of certain desktop users

This is completely orthogonal to the question of whether people who
express a desire for better support for desktop functionality should be
excoriated publicly on this mailing list, and spanked for having the
audacity to want to migrate from MS Windows to FreeBSD for use as a
desktop OS.


> 2. that desktop usage is possibly not a primary goal and therefore
> should not detract from development in the other areas

I agree that desktop usage should not take priority over more fundamental
quality concerns in FreeBSD development.  Telling people to stick it in
their ear when they say it would be nice to have Flash support is not
related to the ability to prioritize development goals, though.


> 
> i think it is always an excellent idea to "talk hardware vendors into
> providing better specs so better drivers can be produced". this is
> something the openbsd group also advocated strongly for and it can only
> be good for all opensource (assuming it be done properly). however, i
> think the concern your opposition has is that the wishes of the desktop
> contigent not control the reins of development of an os we all find to
> be excellent ... so far.

Desire for better desktop functionality doesn't have to equate to wanting
desktop-oriented development to "control the reins of development" for
the whole system.  Why the hell do you seem to think it does?  Hell, I
think the more server-oriented development philosophy of FreeBSD is
actually a big part of the reason it works so well as a desktop OS!
Maintaining a more server-oriented development philosophy in *no way*
precludes giving some attention to strictly desktop-related
functionality, though.

Pretending the two are incompatible goals, as a few notable people here
seem to want to do, is counterproductive in my opinion.

-- 
Chad Perrin [ content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]
Quoth Alan Perlis: "LISP programmers know the value of everything and
the cost of nothing."
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