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The End of the Free PCI Device List (Update)
imann writes "For many years, Jim Boemler was the maintainer of a free PCI device table which reference all the PCI ID's of PCI Devices. This service is used by Free Operating Systems for keeping up to date their pci device list. That was a very usefull service for us (i was working in a Linux distro in the hardware suport team). It was wonderfull until the PCI-SIG had their lawyers cease and desisted him to stop this service because of the use of the PCI logo AND name ! You don't have the right to use the three letters P,C,I ! Incredible... So he was forced to close his website.
This is a incredible loss for the hardware support in the Free Software world. I hope PCI-SIG will change its position !
Please support Jim." A friend emailed me to point out that many /.ers have been emailing the wrong person to complain....read on for details...
Jamal wrote, "The story you posted is causing us a headache. Our CTO, Alan Deikman is being bombarded by emails from people reading that story.
Alan is not the person in charge of the PCI SIG, his only sin is that Znyx
did host the PCI sig in the early 90s and he was the list maintainer. This
was a gracious act and should not be rewarded the way it is now. Infact he is
trying to help the gent with that website to see if things get resolved." Alan's email was posted on the page we linked to, erroneously.
Could they still get you on that?
That's it, I'm going to boycott PCI. Only ISA, EISA, MCA, and AGP for me. Now, does anyone have a link to a motherboard manufacturer for a PIV that only has ISA slots?
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Jim must act quickly to claim the letters J I M as his own Intellectual property. Then we can find someone named Jim associated with the PCI trade group and countersue.
All my previous sigs now look like this one, I wish they were permanetly recorded when used.
"I'm speaking purely as an individual who has, over the past seven years, made some contribution to the XXX community."
Man, and most of us just take, take, take... Open source, or open pants?
Don't they have anything else better to do than close down an extrememly helpful website because it has three letters on there?
Isn't this just typical of a scared group trying to save their market? Its the same old story:
10 years ago, they were the darlings of the media. Everyone couldn't get enough of their product. They stomped all other competition (ISA) until they were the exclusive provider in their market space (motherboards) for several years. But, technology advanced, and soon they weren't the best any more (AGP). New products arrived that did things better and faster in smaller space. And though they still have a majority market share, they know that they simply can't keep up.
* shakes head * Its always sad to watch a bus format die...
Instructions for use of this post: Insert tounge in cheek. Read as normal.
Do you have Linux and a DotPal? Click here now!
(G)NPCI is (N)ot (PCI)
...to FPCI.org
(The F standing, of course, for Free and unaF.U.lliated)
The ______ Agenda
Mod parent up! This is clearly an attack by microsoft on open source.
Seems like when an organization is about dying off, they sue the hell out of everybody.
Like the RIAA/MPAA? (Putting on my hopeful face)
-R
You need to get the AGP Dial. It's an AGP card with five AGP slots and a big dial. As you need to use the network or the monitor, you turn the dial to the correct card. Inconvient, but the data transfer is fast as hell.
Because of the three Letters he choose to replace PCI, I'm not able anymore to access the web page from my workstation.
The proxy at my office have a rule to filter every page wich contains the XXX expression.
I'm trying to guess if moderators will find this comment interesting or funny
- "PCI"
- You just said "PCI" w/o permission.
- But so did you. You said "PCI" w/o permission.
- You just said "You said PCI w/o permission"
- You just said "You said you just said PCI.."
- You said "You said you said you said you said..
(Stack Overflow..)