Ubuntu is not free.

[Derek Broughton]

Andrew Zajac wrote:

> On 7/12/06, Dotan Cohen <dotancohen at gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 12/07/06, Derek Broughton <news at pointerstop.ca> wrote:

>> > 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.

How did you take what Alan said and what Dotan & I said in response, agree,
and yet say the opposite of what we said? :-)

> 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.

That's the bottom line, but if you don't write those letters (and they need
to be _letters_ - phone calls or face-to-face communications don't get
recorded.  Emails may, but hardcopy letters _always_ do) they don't know
_why_ their competition is more successful.  Boycotting is useless unless
the company knows it's being boycotted.
-- 
derek