*BSD News Article 75639


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From: meissner@cygnus.com (Michael Meissner)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.apps,comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.os.linux.x,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.setup,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Why to not buy Matrox Millennium
Date: 07 Aug 1996 12:47:30 -0400
Organization: Cygnus Support
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In-reply-to: bonak@herky.cs.uiowa.edu's message of 7 Aug 1996 04:14:18 GMT
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In article <4u956q$kuo@flood.weeg.uiowa.edu> bonak@herky.cs.uiowa.edu (Esmail
Bonakdarian) writes:

| So what's the problem with Matrox? I've heard that it would be wise to
| avoid Diamond cards too, is this correct?

The problem is Matrox has decided not to give out programming details of the
card so that the free X server (XFree86) can support it.  There are two X
servers that do support it (MetroX and X inside) for about $100.  What people
are arguing is whether you should support somebody by buying their hardware, if
they don't support free software.

Diamond, 1-2 years ago did the same thing, and eventually they decided they
were just losing sales because of the policy.  They now work with the XFree86
team, and the latest versions of XFree86 support Diamond cards.
-- 
Michael Meissner, Cygnus Support (East Coast)
955 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
meissner@cygnus.com,	617-354-5416 (office),	617-354-7161 (fax)