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3Com to Develop for Linux
The Dodger
sent us a link to a story at Silicon.com
that tells us that 3com will
bow to user demands, and officially begin
supporting linux (requires
free login to read)
after surveying delagates at a 3com User Group Conference and
learning that over 50% of them were planning to use Linux.
This is nothing but good news. The more big names that develop, the better.
Does this mean official Linux tools for the Palm Pilot?
-Ponty (who doesn't have his password with him)
Now maybe this will mean the 3Com 100Mbps PCMCIA and CardBus cards will finally get drivers that work!
The Palm Pilots rock, and I bought a PCMCIA ethernet adaptor of theirs that had "Linux" on the box under supported platforms. If they hadn't had that I probably would have bought a NE2K clone.
Things I'd like to see on the pilot:
* Emacs
* Perl
nVidia is working with the XFree86 team to make
OpenGL drivers for the TNT and 128 chip.
They will be awailable in XFree86 4.0 =)
What problems are you having? The latest 3c9xx drivers (in 2.2.x and I believe 2.0.36) are very nice, and can even wake the board up when Windoze puts it to sleep.
Maybe the first person to list a site could set up a standard login/password of slashdot/slashdot to foil marketeers and help prevent the fragmentation of the www ?
( Yes, I know this site lets you log in as guest )
What's wrong with these comments?
I have one thing to say: Buy better hardware. It
really doesn't cost much more to get a regular
modem. Or printer. A modem or printer that actually has some brains.
I don't think linux should stoop to the level and
cheapness of "winprinters" and "winmodems".
I think it is pritty amazing how far HotSync capablities has come on Linux but the SDK still leaves alot to be desired.
Will 3COM ever be assisting in the developement of Xcopilot. Also, will they provide a SDK and tutorial that goes well with GCC/GNU development tools as the cross-compiler/linker?
.
Since you brought it up...
I don't think Linux should stoop to the level and cheapness of modems at all. If user's don't care enough to buy Ultra SCSI RAID, 32-bit video, 100baseT, and 400+ MHz processors, screw 'em. Anything less is crap. In fact, let's drop support for everything else.
We can achieve total world domination *much* faster if we don't support so much diverse hardware -- just look at how much market share Apple has won by supporting only a small subset of hardware!!
Would it work to put your cable modem in a Windows PC and then connect that via ethernet to you Linux box? Might WinGate be able to handle that for you?
Ryan
Ispell has a grammar checker in it? That's news to me... I don't think ispell would pick out "boy" as being incorrect.
--
The world is neither black nor white nor good nor evil, only many shades of CowboyNeal.
They (3Com) should be on their knees begging Donald Becker to come work for them.
My guess is they'll take his code, post it on their website, & pat themselves on the back for "supporting" Linux.
Posted by The Mongolian Barbecue:
let's hope they don't do something stupid like release binary only drivers...
I have Cable service that will only use a 3Com VSP cable modem. This cable modem only supports windows. I have been calling and sending e-mail to these jokers for over 4 months now. May I will be able to use my Cable modem with Linux. Or maybe I'll just wait till I can get DSL. Untill then I will have to use My ISDN for my Linux computer.
Last one in jail is a fascist.
Guys, guys, guys... PlEEEEZZZ use ispell or something.
-- adr
I'd expect more drivers and less PalmPilot software... but maybe we'll see some nice SNMP management software for 3Com hubs.
* And remember, it's spelled N-e-t-s-c-a-p-e, but it's pronounced "Mozilla."
Things I'd like to see on the pilot:
* Emacs
You must have a pretty big Pilot...
we've got that already.
login as 'cypherpunk' with password 'cypherpunk'
try doing so at Amtrak. It's mildly amusing.
n.b. that you may still require cookies to be running, e.g. at the new york times.
-- This and all my posts are in the public domain. I am a lawyer. I am not your lawyer, and this is not legal advice.
Noteable quotes:
support gun control: take guns from cops
Well, it looks to me like there already is some support for 3com devices in the kernel... i can easily configure and use my 3com pcmcia modem/network card combo on my laptop. What is this new "official" support all about?
Maybe now Linux will get decent 3c905b drivers, since that card seems to have a few quirks...
This space for rent. Call 1-800-STEAK4U
So do you think all this FUD will stop the
Free Software community from ever releasing a
complete, working unix-like OS with applications
and network infrastructure?
Do you think that the FUD will prevent widespread
acceptance of such a system?
We have really needed a system like that for
a long time. Maybe someone in Europe (even a student, perhaps?) could work on something like this.
If it were freely distributed with a source license requiring redistribution of modified
source, maybe it would catch on despite the
efforts of commercial interests to squash it.
Alas, nobody will ever do anything like that so
I guess we're stuck with Microsoft and commercial
Unix. *sigh*
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
does this mean that 3com will actually port drivers to linux for its line of USR WinModems? maybe? ohwell, this is great. now all we need is Adaptec to start porting generic drivers and Hewlett Packard getting some good WinPrinter support... sigh...
-- adraken
Excuse me while I yawn. I've been using Don Becker's driver for their PCMCIA network card for over a year now. I really can't give much credit to a company who has been dragging their heels for so long. 3com is simply jumping on the bandwagon. Everyone and his mother is announcing Linux support, and they don't want to be left behind.
I really feel almost insulted when any company that has been giving me the finger for so long now turns around, announces that they'll "support" Linux (whatever that means), and expect people to pat them on the back.
According README.NVIDIA XFree86 3.3.3.1, it includes a brand new driver for Nvidia's Riva TNT chipset, contributed by @nvidia.com
The driver does not take advantage of hardware acceleration, but actual code from @nvidia.com is a good sign.
There were 2 models of the VSP -- there's the plain-vanilla VSP and the VSP+ for people who have run out of ISA ports and need to sacrifice their modem to install the cable adapter.
The VSP uses your normal analog modem you already have (since it needs the modem for the uplink and cable TV line for downlink); the VSP+ has a builtin winmodem which it uses for the uplink.
Cable co. doesn't have external ethernet-based modems and won't have any until at least June 2000 when they upgrade to 2-way cable... 3Com better come through with a Linux driver or else I'll be first in line for ADSL when it comes to my neighborhood in a few months.
Too bad dhcpcd doesn't work with my 3c905TX 10/100 card in Linux, although it works perfectly fine in Windoze. Maybe this is a 3c59x "Vortex/Boomerang" driver issue in linux, or something dumb I'm doing, but either way I'd like some official support from 3Com to help me on my way. I paid money for their net card, which coincidentally puts a shitload of cpu strain on your computer at high packet transfer rates.
Anyone know exactly what they mean by supporting Linux?
Will they be officially sanctioning PalmPilot connectivity and support apps for Linux? Will there be more?
If such a large customer base is using Linux, do they plan to cash in on this by offering other Linux based products?
Does 3Com plan to support Linux on their net cards, hubs, routers, and other devices?
Anyone with a clue? Sorry =)
AS
-AS
*Pikachu*
I doubt they'll support the internal VSP cable modem as they (stupidly?) included a 56k *win*modem on that board... Ugh. But, of course, that assumes they don't come up with some way of actually using the winmodem under Linux.
I realize that the spread of GNU/Linux has been exponential in the last year or two. I know things like this sometimes hit companies by surprise.
However, it took 50% of their customers using/considering a platform to get them to develop for that platform? Given that it will take a while to actually write the software -- don't you think they waited a little late? I would think development would have at least been considered at the "20% and climbing fast" mark.
This is not a bash (or even a csh) on 3Com -- I suspect they may have been surprised by the numbers. It's meant more as a wake-up call to other developers "considering" the GNU/Linux platform. If you waiting for the marketing studies, be advised that your competition may not wait.
Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.
You also have to be able to use three of those stylus-thingies at the same time to hold down the control keys. It's kind of like using chopsticks. :P
Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.
So... if 3 Com start to officially support Linux, maybe other like nVidia (we want OpenGL drivers!) and Creatives Labs (we want full SBLive! drivers!) will follow and officially support Linux....
I hope so....!!