Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 13:01:20 -0600 From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org> To: Jeroen Ruigrok/Asmodai <asmodai@wxs.nl> Cc: advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: No port of Opera? (Was: ((FreeBSD : Linux) :: (OS/2 : Windows))) Message-ID: <4.3.2.7.2.20000708125224.04edae10@localhost> In-Reply-To: <20000708202346.M35215@daemon.ninth-circle.org> References: <4.3.2.7.2.20000707203753.04804100@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20000707003817.04760d40@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20000706225433.0475b4d0@localhost> <Your <4.3.2.7.2.20000706193313.04a8ca40@localhost> <54201.962945434@localhost> <4.3.2.7.2.20000706225433.0475b4d0@localhost> <20000707082704.Z35215@daemon.ninth-circle.org> <4.3.2.7.2.20000707003817.04760d40@localhost> <20000707211621.C35215@daemon.ninth-circle.org> <4.3.2.7.2.20000707203753.04804100@localhost>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
At 12:23 PM 7/8/2000, Jeroen Ruigrok/Asmodai wrote: >>I think you'll agree that WHATEVER it's called (call it a Frobnicator >>if you'd like), the effect on the availability of natively compiled >>applications is the same. > >No, I do not agree. Please explain what you do believe, and why. >Brett, I seriously wonder if you even have been exposed to people using >FreeBSD as desktop. Oh, not at all. I only support half a dozen firms with BSD workstations, but I guess that does not count. ;-) > Here at the ISP I work for we use FreeBSD as >primary server platform, but almost all techs run it as well for their >desktop and a couple of helpdeskers multiboot. Good for you! >Don't assume that just because YOUR clients are NOT doing it implies >that NOBODY is doing that. Don't assume that my clients aren't doing it. They are, but they are getting pretty frustrated with the lack of non-native ports and one is demanding that I switch them to Linux. >>You cannot "demand" market share. Rather, you must offer things of value. >>And one of the most important things of value -- the thing that has >>historically proven to make or break a platform -- is native application >>support. > >Yes you can demand marketshare. I hope I really don't have to explain >that all. There are only two organizations which are brazen enough to "demand" market share. One is Microsoft, which is expert at strongarming OEMs into installing nothing else (or, since the DoJ decision, telling them to give token support to other OSes but still requiring them to sell a certain percentage of Windows machines or face unfavorable pricing). The other is the FSF, which is attempting to run everyone else out of business. Short of the deplorable strongarm tactics of these two players, one cannot "demand" market share. >>Maybe. But will they deliver? And will they support it for more than >>one version? I am hoping that we can keep Applixware and Xi Graphics. >>(As you may recall, a representative of Xi Graphics told me emphatically >>that they were "dropping all support for BSD" about half a year ago. >>It turned out that she was mistaken and they were dropping BSD/OS only, >>but it this is still not a good thing -- especially as BSD/OS and >>FreeBSD move closer together.) > >Hey, Xi's loss. Plain and simple. No, it's the platform's loss. XFree86 simply isn't adequate for many systems, and only with XiG can you get things such as multi-head support (essential for programmers). >Applixware is already in a new FreeBSD beta stage for what I know >(little imps tend to tell me these things). Let's hope they ship and keep shipping. >>Bottom line: the Linuxulator/Frobnicator/Prognosticator/Whatever is >>hurting the platform. I've proposed a strategy to counter this. Shall >>we take action? > >You go ahead, have this spare soapbox, I am going to do much more >interesting things instead. The things that are best for the platform are not necessarily the most interesting technically, alas. But in order to preserve the playground, one must pick up the trash.... --Brett To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-advocacy" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?4.3.2.7.2.20000708125224.04edae10>