[forum] "Drivers? We don't need no stinking..."

[David Wexelblat]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: forum-admin@XFree86.Org 
> [mailto:forum-admin@XFree86.Org] On Behalf Of Mike A. Harris
> Sent: Friday, March 28, 2003 11:43 PM
> To: forum@XFree86.Org
> Subject: RE: [forum] "Drivers? We don't need no stinking..."
> 
> 
> On Mon, 24 Mar 2003, David Wexelblat wrote:
> 
> >> It isnt just about documentation, although that is a 
> >> significant factor.
> >
> >FWIW, this is probably a place where the distribution 
> >vendors could help out - by providing a financial incentive
> >to the people skilled enough to do the port/reimplementation.
> >The people who have the skillset are, in general, not
> >particularly interested in (and often don't have access to) the old
> >hardware. If the distribution vendors were to contract out 
> >the work, that might entice someone who would otherwise spend
> >their free time playing with new toys.
> 
> What financial return on investment would there be by paying 
> someone to port ancient drivers from 3.3.6 to 4.x?
> 

Well, it is usually the customers of the distribution vendors who are coming
to the distribution vendors about the lack of support for devices, right?
That, or you have to continue to maintain 3.3.x to be able to have that
support.

So the incentives could be (a) reduced support calls, (b) more sales, (c)
elimination of the need to support 3.3.x.

Please realize I'm not at all trying to be argumentative or flame-baiting -
this was a very serious suggestion on my part. I figured from everything
that I've heard/seen/read on the issue of support for old devices that the
distribution vendors already had a modicum of incentive to get this work
done. If the distribution vendors don't have a financial incentive to do
this, then it's unclear to me why anyone thinks the Open Source volunteers
have an incentive to do it either...

> >FWIW3 - If you want to learn how to do this sort of stuff, 
> >porting an old driver to XAA, using the 3.x code and the old docs
> >to learn about the chipsets, then looking at docs for a chipset
> >that has an existing 4.x driver, will be a really educational
> >experience. I got started with all this by studying Thomas
> >Roell's ET4000 code and a databook for a few days...
> 
> I can agree with that.  There is zero ROI for paying someone to 
> perform this effort however.

That's up to you to decide. But it is also unfair to make demands that
XFree86 do it. If you want it done, who's going to pay for it? Maybe a bunch
of volunteers will step up, but I doubt it.

> -- 
> Mike A. Harris
> 

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