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Xref: sserve comp.os.linux.development:12429 comp.unix.bsd:14429 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!munnari.oz.au!constellation!news.uoknor.edu!ns1.nodak.edu!netnews.nwnet.net!pnl-oracle!osi-east2.es.net!lll-winken.llnl.gov!ames!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!newsfeed.pitt.edu!uunet!iris.tjhsst.edu!thor.tjhsst.edu!not-for-mail From: cmetz@thor.tjhsst.edu (Craig Metz) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development,comp.unix.bsd Subject: APC UPS owners or potential buyers, trying to show user base Date: 27 Jul 1994 15:12:44 -0400 Organization: The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Lines: 45 Distribution: world Message-ID: <316bjc$hlh@thor.tjhsst.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.tjhsst.edu I had a talk today with Debbie Gray (sp?) of American Power Conversion regarding trying to get information on how to communicate with their Smart UPS products' onboard controllers in order to write a Linux driver. APC is one of the *many* manufacturers that plays the old NDA game, i.e., ``we consider that to be proprietary information that we have to protect''. However, she seemed to at least not be a brick wall to the idea of trying to change this policy so that a freely redistributable in source form Linux driver could be done. She told me that she will be talking to her supervisor when he's back from Interop next week about this. In cases like this, money talks. If it can be shown that opening up to the Linux community (and the *BSD community, as well) would net them a significant number of sales, they would be far more likely to decide to open up than if it's just me. So, I ask, could people who (or whose employer): * Own an APC Smart UPS used with a machine that is or will be a Linux or *BSD system (or) * Are planning to purchase a smart UPS for use with a Linux or *BSD system Please get in touch with me, letting me know what size (sizes, or size range) UPS and how many units are involved. I will be using this information to show that the Linux and *BSD markets are significant enough that it is worth their while to reconsider their policies. Also, if anyone has had experiences with other manufaturers of smart UPS units trying to get programming/driver information from them, please let me know. If APC doesn't change their line, I want to know who *does* do things in the open -- that'll be who gets my business. -Craig Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development,comp.unix.bsd Subject: foo Summary: Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Keywords: Cc: