Date: Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:22:02 +1000 From: Da Rock <rock_on_the_web@comcen.com.au> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Questions drivers for VGA and NIC Message-ID: <1223025722.3927.36.camel@laptop1.herveybayaustralia.com.au> In-Reply-To: <20081002142519.GG51954@gizmo.acns.msu.edu> References: <e465331f0810011118i536c3e4kc1027c792bcc0754@mail.gmail.com> <200810011048.21874.lists@rhavenn.net> <18659.52849.278757.861259@jerusalem.litteratus.org> <20081001172216.5015add3@scorpio> <20081001232502.G56202@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <20081001180424.56e6ca69@scorpio> <20081002142519.GG51954@gizmo.acns.msu.edu>
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On Thu, 2008-10-02 at 10:25 -0400, Jerry McAllister wrote: > On Wed, Oct 01, 2008 at 06:04:24PM -0400, Jerry wrote: > > > On Wed, 1 Oct 2008 23:25:19 +0200 (CEST) > > Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> wrote: > > > > >> In all likelihood, the probability of any vendor creating FBSD > > >> specific drivers is directly proportionate to the expenditure of > > >> funds to create and maintain the driver versus the expected revenue > > >> from such an expenditure. > > > > > >giving out a specs will be the simplest way. > > > > Any entity, or corporation, has a right to expect a return on their > > investment. To expect a corporation to simply give away something, > > thereby depriving their shareholders, partners or whatever, of their > > rightfully expected monetary reward is foolish. It certainly is not a > > well thought out business model. > > First, in cases like this, giving out the specs so someone can write > a good driver could increase their sales of cards which could, in > turn, increase their profit. So, it would help their business > rather than hurt it. They do not sell those drivers. They just > use them to sell video cards. Since the lack of a driver that > works in FreeBSD limits their sales of video cards, then they are > making the business mistake you are indicating, only in a reverse > sort of way. > > > Second, and very important. No corporation has any right to expect > a return on their investment. Investment is always a risk. They > might hope for a return, but they will have to work for it. They will > be fortunate to get it. More business ventures fail than succeed. > > Maybe it is only a case of using the wrong word, but it is still > important to remember that there is no guarantee of profit. That > was the big failing of price controls - that the government got > in to the business of guaranteeing profits and then the whole thing > fell apart. Ok, so this is in reply to the previous message on this thread as well as this one. Based on what is said here (and I agree totally), then the NDA would be only on the actually insider specs of the card- you'd have to be a savant to extrapolate the actual guts of the card solely based on the driver (in particular the special features in the hardware- if they're not public knowledge anyway). So why the big hush hush then? NDA signed and obviously a contract drawn which everyone agrees to- manufacturer and programmer. Any reason why this wouldn't work? I know of some that do this (ie m-Audio and OSS).
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