From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Jun 10 23:03:36 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3D5B416A4CE for ; Thu, 10 Jun 2004 23:03:36 +0000 (GMT) Received: from svan18.sannet.ne.jp (svan18.sannet.ne.jp [134.180.49.18]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A5F7643D49 for ; Thu, 10 Jun 2004 23:03:35 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from joel_rees@sannet.ne.jp) Received: from sannet.ne.jp (eaa1-ppp1941.west.sannet.ne.jp [211.133.175.131]) by svan18.sannet.ne.jp (Postfix) with ESMTP id 601442BE5D; Fri, 11 Jun 2004 08:03:26 +0900 (JST) Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 08:03:25 +0900 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v553) To: Zenaan Harkness From: Joel Rees In-Reply-To: <1086903090.2237.77.camel@zen8100a.freedbms.net> Message-Id: <608ED6C2-BB32-11D8-957D-0030654B1810@sannet.ne.jp> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.553) X-Mailman-Approved-At: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 12:28:40 +0000 cc: pr@lindows.com cc: leader@debian.org cc: PWCS@us.ibm.com cc: netbsd-help@NetBSD.org cc: questions@FreeBSD.org cc: bruce@perens.com cc: steve@silug.org cc: hardware@mandrakesoft.com cc: esr@thyrsus.com cc: sac@conectiva.com.br cc: mickey@openbsd.org cc: bcollins@debian.org cc: techline@my.ibm.com cc: info@osdl.org cc: cdb@suse.de cc: press@lycoris.com cc: info@libranet.com cc: gtaylor+web_bgehc060504@picante.com cc: hardware@redhat.com cc: ja2morri@uwaterloo.ca Subject: Re: RFC: Free Software Hardware Compatibility - Centralised DB X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 23:03:36 -0000 (Apologies in advance --) On 2004.6.11, at 06:31 AM, Zenaan Harkness wrote: > PLEASE NOTE: > > * Please do not reply-all Sorry, when you break the rules, the rules are broken. However, > ... > ASSUMPTION: > ... > We assume that it is in the best interests of each Free Software > Unix-like operating system distribution, each kernel (eg. Linux, *BSD, > HURD) and in the best interests of the end users, to have a > centralised/ > unified location for hardware information. > ... I'm not sure that centralization is a valid assumption in the open source community. Getting hardware is only half the battle. I think that what the members of the open source community would prefer is that individuals and companies who have hardware to donate would be aware of (1) what projects they want or need to support and (2) where the hardware they have to donate can best be used. (It's a free market, we just use a different currency, so to speak.) That said, I suspect that, if a company or individual has hardware to donate and is not sure where it should go, a broadcast troll like this might actually be appropriate. (Which is why I'm even further breaking protocol here.) -- Joel Rees Opinions are like armpits. We all have two, and they all smell, but we really don't want the other guy to get rid of his.