Why FreeBSD not popular on hardware vendors

[Chad Perrin]

On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 01:35:46PM -0500, Michael Powell wrote:
> Chad Perrin wrote:
> 
> > On Fri, Dec 12, 2008 at 12:05:20PM +0100, Wojciech Puchar wrote:
> >> >
> >> >So . . . are you saying that increased support for 3D accelerated
> >> >graphics is not an "improvement", and should therefore not be considered
> >> >a worthy goal?
> >> 
> >> full support of open hardware standards is an requirement.
> >> 
> >> support for closed hardware standards isn't important.
> > 
> > I disagree.  I believe, rather, that support for closed hardware specs
> > isn't *as* important -- but is still at least somewhat important.
> > 
> 
> My reservation to the 3D driver thing is it is setting a very dangerous
> precedent if the solution involves allowing a third party commercial
> enterprise to dictate features FreeBSD "must include" before they will
> support it.

I agree with you on that matter.  Third parties like commercial hardware
vendors should not be *dictating* FreeBSD design.  I understand wanting
to take a careful approach to working with hardware vendors, particularly
when they make such demands.  I just don't think that one hardware vendor
saying something like that is a good reason to abandon all hope of 3D
accelerated graphics support beyond what's already there.


> 
> In this case with NVidia and the amd64 3D driver let's say for sake of
> argument the developers decide "we want the amd64 3D driver so let's
> go ahead and add in abc_function() and xyz_function(). Later the situation
> is repeated with ATI mandating that abc_function() or xyz_function() must
> be altered to ATI's specs to get ATI 3D acceleration. Now you have two
> commercial companies using FreeBSD as the mud puddle in a tug of
> war game.
> 
> Do we really want third parties to have the ability to dictate to the devs
> what code goes into FreeBSD? I have doubts that this is a good path.

No, we don't.  When did anyone say otherwise?

-- 
Chad Perrin [ content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]
Quoth McCloctnick the Lucid: "The first rule of magic is simple. Don't
waste your time waving your hands and hopping when a rock or a club will
do."
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