From owner-freebsd-hackers Tue Dec 19 8:40:30 2000 From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Dec 19 08:40:25 2000 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org Received: from etinc.com (et-gw.etinc.com [207.252.1.2]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8E54A37B402 for ; Tue, 19 Dec 2000 08:40:24 -0800 (PST) Received: from dbsys.etinc.com (dbsys.etinc.com [207.252.1.18]) by etinc.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA74111; Tue, 19 Dec 2000 11:42:20 GMT (envelope-from dennis@etinc.com) Message-Id: <5.0.0.25.0.20001219111044.020739e0@mail.etinc.com> X-Sender: dennis@mail.etinc.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.0 Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 11:43:17 -0500 To: Boris , Murray Stokely From: Dennis Subject: Re: FreeBSD vs Linux, Solaris, and NT Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG In-Reply-To: <16785804580.20001219030629@x-itec.de> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG >Device Drivers >-------------- >I don=B4t like binary only device drivers. The code of an operating >system is more complex than a driver. if a company does not want to >publish the sourcecode, the should go away. You've lost all credibility here. Well supported device drivers should not= =20 require source. I'd prefer a commercial (preferably the manufacters)=20 support other than some guy in the ural mountains who fixes things IF he=20 can get a card with a problem and IF he can duplicate the problem and IF=20 hes a good enough coder to get it done. case and point: How many of us are sitting on our hands waiting for DG to=20 have time to fix the latest snafu in the if_fxp driver? You cant blame him= =20 for having a job and earning a living, but the fact is that only he has=20 enough experience with the part to do the job. We all have source, but who= =20 wants to spend a couple of weeks learning the intricacies of a very complex= =20 part to fix what amounts to a very small bug? You NEED source in linux and freebsd and the like because manufacturers=20 dont support their cards for these OSs and the drivers are a continuous=20 work in progress. Drivers are fixed only AFTER a problem with a new=20 revision part is encountered, which undermines a companies abiltiy to do=20 its work and to have confidence that they will have a solution in the= future. I'd take a driver disk with a binary driver with each shipment of cards ANY= =20 DAY over having to cross my fingers that the current FreeBSD driver works=20 with them. Drivers written in linux and freebsd, for example, are often "guesses" of=20 how things work because exact documents are not available. The concept that= =20 some programmer, as good as he may be, working in his spare time on a=20 driver without full documentation is more desirable than code provided by=20 the manufacturer is so short-sighted that is illustrates that the author=20 has no concept of reality. "hacker mentality" is not mainstream. 98% of people dont have a clue what=20 to do with source code. They want products that just work. Your=20 recommendation, if you make such a recommendation regarding "source over=20 binary", suits your own requirements and not that of your client or readers= =20 and shows very poor judgement. DB To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message