From: nel...@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson) Subject: HOWTO: Promote the use of Linux Date: 1995/09/18 Message-ID: <NELSON.95Sep18142147@crynwr.crynwr.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 110330192 organization: Crynwr Software newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc Are you J. Random Linux user? Do you want to help popularize Linux? You *can* help. When you buy a piece of hardware for your Linux machine, make sure that the company knows that you're buying it for use with Linux. Hardware manufacturers and distributors need to know how big the Linux market is. Once they do, they will start supporting Linux. Once the hardware manufacturers support Linux, the software manufacturers will support it. And the world will be a better place. -- -russ <nel...@crynwr.com> http://www.crynwr.com/~nelson Crynwr Software | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | PGP ok 11 Grant St. | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX) | Jesus Christ looked pretty Potsdam, NY 13676 | much like today's average Middle-Eastern terrorist.
From: saj...@cs.tamu.edu (Sajedur R Chowdhury) Subject: Re: HOWTO: Promote the use of Linux Date: 1995/09/18 Message-ID: <43kees$cdc@news.tamu.edu>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 110330193 references: <NELSON.95Sep18142147@crynwr.crynwr.com> organization: Texas A&M Computer Science Department, College Station, TX newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc In article <NELSON.95Sep18142...@crynwr.crynwr.com>, Russell Nelson <nel...@crynwr.crynwr.com> wrote: >Hardware manufacturers and distributors need to know >how big the Linux market is. Once they do, they will start supporting >Linux. With Linux, there exists no entity that is responsible for it. So, no matter how good Linux is, major hardware vendors are unlikely to support Linux officially. Futhermore - look at OS/2, even with the backing of a company like IBM, how many vendors do you know who'll "officially" support OS/2? -Sajed -- Sajed Chowdhury saj...@cs.tamu.edu
From: m...@bob.sc.colostate.edu (Mike Loseke) Subject: Re: HOWTO: Promote the use of Linux Date: 1995/09/18 Message-ID: <43kgtt$25q7@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 110330194 references: <NELSON.95Sep18142147@crynwr.crynwr.com> <43kees$cdc@news.tamu.edu> organization: Lory Student Center, Colorado State University newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc In article <43kees$...@news.tamu.edu>, Sajedur R Chowdhury <saj...@cs.tamu.edu> wrote: >In article <NELSON.95Sep18142...@crynwr.crynwr.com>, >Russell Nelson <nel...@crynwr.crynwr.com> wrote: >>Hardware manufacturers and distributors need to know >>how big the Linux market is. Once they do, they will start supporting >>Linux. > >With Linux, there exists no entity that is responsible for it. So, no >matter how good Linux is, major hardware vendors are unlikely to support >Linux officially. On the other hand, look at DEC. They're going to fully (I think) support Linux on their Alpha platforms. They are also going to honor the GPL and make available any and all source code developed for Linux. There is an article in the current Linux Journal (Oct '95) which talks about DEC's strategy for Linux. >Futhermore - look at OS/2, even with the backing of a >company like IBM, how many vendors do you know who'll "officially" support >OS/2? Haha! Good one! Gotta love IBM. Kinda like watching a wiener dog with no legs. -- Mike Loseke * Webmaster & | System Administrator | I think, therefore you are. m...@bob.sc.colostate.edu | -- Sutter Cane from John Carpenter's http://www.sc.colostate.edu | "In The Mouth of Madness"
From: Loren Schweitzer <lor...@iadfw.net> Subject: Re: HOWTO: Promote the use of Linux Date: 1995/09/18 Message-ID: <43kgj9$6dm@news.iadfw.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 110390759 references: <NELSON.95Sep18142147@crynwr.crynwr.com> content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii organization: N.O.Y.B. mime-version: 1.0 newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc x-mailer: Mozilla 1.2b4 (Windows; I; 16bit) This is an interesting question. I live in Dallas, TX and the nearest Linux Users Group is in Houston. I sent them email and he sent a terse reply back saying, start one there. Well, first of all, I have no idea how to get in touch with people. So, I wonder how many of you folks are registered with the Linux Counter. They have a paltry number of users listed, but they estimate that there are === milions === of Linux folks out there!!!!! I think the first step would be registering with the counter to help promote Linux. I am making the switch because I am sick to death of M7 and all their hype. As for telling hardware vendors that you are using it for Linux, most of them have never heard of it. That was my experience. One guy did know of it, and he said it was a b*&^# to get configured. Well, my probs weren't with the hardware! my 2 cents worth.
From: nel...@crynwr.crynwr.com (Russell Nelson) Subject: Re: HOWTO: Promote the use of Linux Date: 1995/09/19 Message-ID: <NELSON.95Sep19093513@crynwr.crynwr.com>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 110390777 references: <NELSON.95Sep18142147@crynwr.crynwr.com> <43kgj9$6dm@news.iadfw.net> organization: Crynwr Software newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc In article <43kgj9$...@news.iadfw.net> Loren Schweitzer <lor...@iadfw.net> writes: As for telling hardware vendors that you are using it for Linux, most of them have never heard of it. That was my experience. Right, that's the point. The companies most likely to support Linux are the companies making money off it. Who's making money off Linux now? Hardware and CD-ROM vendors. But if they don't know that you're buying it for Linux, how would they know? And if they've never heard of Linux, it's because you (the plural you, not Loren) haven't told them. Always, always tell vendors that you want their hardware to work with Linux. Make it a condition of sale. Write "Must be Linux compatible" on a purchase order -- if they accept the purchase order, it's a binding contract. -- -russ <nel...@crynwr.com> http://www.crynwr.com/~nelson Crynwr Software | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support | PGP ok 11 Grant St. | +1 315 268 1925 (9201 FAX) | Jesus Christ looked pretty Potsdam, NY 13676 | much like today's average Middle-Eastern terrorist.
From: iia...@iifeak.swan.ac.uk (Alan Cox) Subject: Re: HOWTO: Promote the use of Linux Date: 1995/09/22 Message-ID: <DFB9wq.5I3@info.swan.ac.uk>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 110572244 sender: n...@info.swan.ac.uk x-nntp-posting-host: iifeak.swan.ac.uk references: <NELSON.95Sep18142147@crynwr.crynwr.com> <43kees$cdc@news.tamu.edu> organization: Institute For Industrial Information Technology newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc In article <43kees$...@news.tamu.edu> saj...@cs.tamu.edu (Sajedur R Chowdhury) writes: >In article <NELSON.95Sep18142...@crynwr.crynwr.com>, >Russell Nelson <nel...@crynwr.crynwr.com> wrote: >>Hardware manufacturers and distributors need to know >>how big the Linux market is. Once they do, they will start supporting >>Linux. > >With Linux, there exists no entity that is responsible for it. So, no >matter how good Linux is, major hardware vendors are unlikely to support >Linux officially. Futhermore - look at OS/2, even with the backing of a >company like IBM, how many vendors do you know who'll "officially" support >OS/2? Vendors don't mind that. They only need to realise one thing. Cost of support < extra_profit. In the Linux market it can be as simple as giving a Linux developer a board, and the documentation and saying go do... Those vendors who won't release docs don't get. Alan -- ..-----------,,----------------------------,,----------------------------,, // Alan Cox // iia...@www.linux.org.uk // GW4PTS@GB7SWN.#45.GBR.EU // Redistribution of this message via the Microsoft Network is prohibited <A href="file:/dev/mouse">Click here to disable mouse.</A>
From: djbar...@jazzmin.vnet.net (Donnie Barnes) Subject: Re: HOWTO: Promote the use of Linux Date: 1995/09/27 Message-ID: <44c21k$l1u@jazzmin.vnet.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 110859731 references: <NELSON.95Sep18142147@crynwr.crynwr.com> <43kees$cdc@news.tamu.edu> <43kgtt$25q7@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU> organization: Red Hat Software newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.os.linux.misc In article <43kgtt$2...@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU>, Mike Loseke <m...@bob.sc.colostate.edu> wrote: >In article <43kees$...@news.tamu.edu>, >Sajedur R Chowdhury <saj...@cs.tamu.edu> wrote: >>In article <NELSON.95Sep18142...@crynwr.crynwr.com>, >>Russell Nelson <nel...@crynwr.crynwr.com> wrote: >>>Hardware manufacturers and distributors need to know >>>how big the Linux market is. Once they do, they will start supporting >>>Linux. >> >>With Linux, there exists no entity that is responsible for it. So, no >>matter how good Linux is, major hardware vendors are unlikely to support >>Linux officially. > >On the other hand, look at DEC. They're going to fully (I think) support Linux >on their Alpha platforms. They are also going to honor the GPL and make >available any and all source code developed for Linux. There is an article >in the current Linux Journal (Oct '95) which talks about DEC's strategy for >Linux. Well, after having dinner and drinks with maddog Hall last week, it is apparent that DEC will support Linux in some way. They will most likely not ship Linux pre-installed on any system. That's only because "if [they] did, [they] would be shipping kernel 1.2 when 1.8 was out". They are helping the Linux-Alpha effort a great deal, but they will not ship it themselves. >>Futhermore - look at OS/2, even with the backing of a >>company like IBM, how many vendors do you know who'll "officially" support >>OS/2? > >Haha! Good one! Gotta love IBM. Kinda like watching a wiener dog with no legs. I agree wwith Russ wholeheartedly on this one. Every video card I've ever bought comes with OS/2 drivers. Hardware vendors will support us one day, count on it. We can thank companies like DEC for having the vision to show the way (and people like maddog for showing DEC the way :-). --Donnie