Ubuntu is not free.

[Andrew Zajac]

On 7/12/06, Dotan Cohen <dotancohen at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 12/07/06, Derek Broughton <news at pointerstop.ca> wrote:
> > Well said.  I have to admit, I've often told people complaining about lack
> > of hardware support that "you wouldn't go out and buy hardware for a
> > Windows machine that wasn't supported in Windows, and you shouldn't go out
> > and buy hardware for a Linux machine that isn't supported."  You've made me
> > realize I'm not quite going about this the right way.  Next time I'm
> > shopping for something, I'll make my shortlist based solely on features,
> > buy the best one that _is_ supported in Linux - and write to all the other
> > manufacturers to tell them why they didn't get a sale.
>
> I'll get on that bandwagon. When they figure out that the cost of
> developing drivers will be less than the profits they will make by
> selling hardware, then they will release drivers.
>

That's absolutely the way to go.  I do this already.  I avoid stores
which have given me a hard time in the past when I asked about
hardware for linux.

It is not up to me to do my homework anymore.  If those stores want to
sell hardware to me, they have to know what will work and what will
not.  Not all computer shops have linux-friendly staff.  But that
won't happen unless we as a community go into stores and open our
mouths and ask.   If they can't guarantee that it will work for you in
linux, say thanks and walk away and find a place that can.

I only buy hardware from the stores which can make buying for linux easy.

That's the way to get vendors to listen - not my petitions, or writing
nasty letters but buying power.  Hardware vendors are not interested
in how many users will write letters, but how many users will buy
their products.


azz