Nobody complains about an OS X driver crisis because the machine comes bundled with the OS and devices which do have drivers.
Linux users install on a generic PC, with generic components. Even Windows has problems sometimes, but the fact that third parties make their own drivers helps, in that people can use their hardware, but hurts because often they are quite buggy, as if they are a mere afterthough.
That would be really nice. Personally, I don't know why the Linux developer team, the BSD teams, the OpenSolaris team, the Darwin team do not collaborate and make a standard driver API, even if it is just for a couple of device types, so that you can easily port driver source code across architectures and OSes.
NVIDIA's binary drivers are shit. Speaking from personal experience, I have had all sorts of funny things happening with them. Including bash misteriously crashing and gcc sigsegvs. This indicates the drivers were corrupting the memory of other apps. They sure are fast for OpenGL, and I wish Linux had good open source OpenGL drivers. But it doesn't. Luckily I do not do any 3D work, or otherwise I might be forced to actually use them more. The open source drivers which came with my distro are really stable albeith only 2D.
Until Linux device drivers are insulated from each other the way programs are thanks to the help of the MMU, this sort of thing will continue to happen with binary drivers, and other poorly written drivers.
Re:Weren't they aware of this during implementatio
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VLC & European Patents
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Fraunhofer is a German Institute. The MP3 patent is pointed as one of the "leading" patents, and I wouldn't be surprised if the holders of the patent monopoly were behind the push for EU patents as well.
As usual, they waited until everyone used it before starting to really turn the screws. Indeed, had Vorbis existed sooner or The MP3 patent crusade started sooner, things might have been very different indeed.
So what? It is nothing Red Hat hasn't done. The trademark is just a rubber stamp marking who made the release, so people do not get confused. Just change the logo.
It is good to know more about the founders of companies to know how the roots of that particular corporate ethos. IBM's founder used to physically damage competitor's products and resell them just to make them look bad while at his previous business. At the same time he gave lots of money to social causes, so he was pardoned. Bill Gates used to go through other people's trash to read their source code.
Trade is positive when you are getting products or services cheaper than you can manufacture on your own country. The money saved can be used for producing other products, which you can trade with someone else. Read your Adam Smith.
Your argument that punishing Microsoft would hurt the EU more only proves the fact for which Microsoft was sentenced. They are a monopoly. By definition, a monopoly inflates prices to the consumer. That is also Economics 101.
But you can rest assured! This will most likely end with a slap on the wrist to look good to the general public and some politicians with fatters wallets. Just like in the good old USA.
Just to add more strength to your argument, IIRC most Microsoft sales in the USA are for the government sector. This also applies in several other countries.
RTFA. Besides, even if their code was available on public display, doesn't mean you had a right to copy it, any more than you have a right to copy and resell because a book you read it once.
Because the concept of DRM is inherently flawed. Encryption is designed to prevent interception of a message in-transit. If any people with a player can eyeball content, someone can save it with a camera, draw a picture or whatever. Worse, if all players use the same key (like CSS for DVD), then everyone has the key in their possession. It can be reverse-engineered by inspection. Even if they put it in hardware, someone can reverse-engineer it with a microscope (it is how some companies do industrial espionage of competitor products).
People trying to sell bulletproof DRM are nothing but snake-oil salesmen, and they know it.
Bollocks. It is a syphon of money from the EU to whoever is a Microsoft stockholder or whoever gets the profits in the end. The taxes only mean the EU bleeds less money and curb demand by a bit. That said, it is Microsoft's product and given international law their have the right to demand compensation for it.
But Microsoft still does not seem to have learned their lesson and continues to defy the will of a court. The next course of action by the EU is probably to step up fines for non-compliance, going to seisure of corporate assets of Microsoft in Europe if they refuse to pay the fines. If that is not enough any Microsoft officers caught in Europe will be detained. You get the idea.
Slashdot Mirror
So it is hardly impossible to make a common API which is cross platform. At least for certain types of devices.
Sure, their drivers are perfect. Must be why several other people have had problems with them too.
Linux users install on a generic PC, with generic components. Even Windows has problems sometimes, but the fact that third parties make their own drivers helps, in that people can use their hardware, but hurts because often they are quite buggy, as if they are a mere afterthough.
I think a stable api which is source code portable would be a better idea.
Probably the NIH factor.
It would also make debugging drivers much easier I bet.
I may get to run memtest sometime just for kicks, but I really doubt the memory is the problem.
Until Linux device drivers are insulated from each other the way programs are thanks to the help of the MMU, this sort of thing will continue to happen with binary drivers, and other poorly written drivers.
Ever heard of cross-licensing? Patent pools?
As usual, they waited until everyone used it before starting to really turn the screws. Indeed, had Vorbis existed sooner or The MP3 patent crusade started sooner, things might have been very different indeed.
Geez that is really fair.
So what? It is nothing Red Hat hasn't done. The trademark is just a rubber stamp marking who made the release, so people do not get confused. Just change the logo.
It is good to know more about the founders of companies to know how the roots of that particular corporate ethos. IBM's founder used to physically damage competitor's products and resell them just to make them look bad while at his previous business. At the same time he gave lots of money to social causes, so he was pardoned. Bill Gates used to go through other people's trash to read their source code.
Indeed it is. Which is why the State writes down the unwritten moral code inherent in society, adds some more and enforces it.
Your argument that punishing Microsoft would hurt the EU more only proves the fact for which Microsoft was sentenced. They are a monopoly. By definition, a monopoly inflates prices to the consumer. That is also Economics 101.
But you can rest assured! This will most likely end with a slap on the wrist to look good to the general public and some politicians with fatters wallets. Just like in the good old USA.
Not if they have to pass a compliance suite they won't.
Just to add more strength to your argument, IIRC most Microsoft sales in the USA are for the government sector. This also applies in several other countries.
RTFA. Besides, even if their code was available on public display, doesn't mean you had a right to copy it, any more than you have a right to copy and resell because a book you read it once.
Microsoft patents ASF media file format, stops reverse engineering.
Read about Windows not working on DR-DOS because they specifically introduced a detection mechanism to prevent it, then tell me if they are evil.
People trying to sell bulletproof DRM are nothing but snake-oil salesmen, and they know it.
SuSE was bought by Novell FYI.
Indeed this is a likely possibility. It all depends on political back-manuevering we know little about.
But Microsoft still does not seem to have learned their lesson and continues to defy the will of a court. The next course of action by the EU is probably to step up fines for non-compliance, going to seisure of corporate assets of Microsoft in Europe if they refuse to pay the fines. If that is not enough any Microsoft officers caught in Europe will be detained. You get the idea.
Where do you get that sort of a salary for doing a minor adaptation for a client? So I can send my resume.