Re: SICK of DIAMOND products ???? Me to !!!!!

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#22

From: David Shepherd
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 00:00

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horst@tasman.cc.utas.edu.au wrote:
: G'day,

: I'm a masochist trying to run Linux and OS/Warp on a computer that
: has:
: -DIAMOND Stealth 64 DRAM video card
: -DIAMOND modem
: -DIAMOND soundcard
: -DIAMOND Cd ROM which is actually a Teac 55a

: I figured out how to install the video drivers in Warp, it took me
: 2 weeks and 2 cartons VB (Australian beer, without the beer it would
: have taken 2 months because the installation procedure is made by drunks
: for drunks). There is no chance for Linux I've heard because DIAMOND wants
: to keep its secrets so I didn't even bother to install Linux.

The problem with Diamond was that they were happy to release info
about the setup for their video cards (I don't think it was anything
particularily special) but only under NDA. Linux, or more correctly,
Xfree release their code under GPL which requires source code hence
they could not release driver code for Diamond cards. This lead to
the usual response from GPL bigots that Diamond were thus inherently
evil as they wanted to "control information" and thus should be
boycotted and no-one should try to support their products.

While I have never tried to run Linux/XFree I do know that at the
same time as everyone was up in arms about Diamond that the Xfree
FAQ did contain a pointer to an independent site were the relevant
setujp programs could be found in binary form!

BTW, it puzzles me why GPL people haven't stuck in a test to
prevent Linux running on Pentiums as surely Intel with the
infamous Appendix H are at least as evil as Diamond!

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               david shepherd
 SGS-THOMSON Microelectronics Ltd, 1000 aztec west, bristol bs12 4sq, u.k.
        tel/fax: +44 1454 611638/617910    email: des@bristol.st.com
       "whatever you don't want, you don't want negative advertising"

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From: des@pact.srf.ac.uk (David Shepherd)
Subject: Re: SICK of DIAMOND products ???? Me to !!!!!
Date: 1995/12/11
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