*BSD News Article 75741


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From: grail@cray-ymp.acm.stuorg.vt.edu (Giao Nguyen)
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,misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Why not buy Matrox Millennium
Followup-To: 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,misc.consumers
Date: 8 Aug 1996 15:06:41 GMT
Organization: ACM Student Machine
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References: <4j21ph$crr@slappy.cs.utexas.edu> <stephenkDvp30A.366@netcom.com> <4u7hv4$jcd@agate.nbnet.nb.ca> <slrn50epup.vrk.knaff@choiseul.inrialpes.fr> <4u9oeg$91j@rigel.tm.informatik.uni-frankfurt.de> <32093E50.39EB@aloha.net> <slrn50ipqh.a9.cbbrowne@dantzig.brownes.org> <32097C81.167EB0E7@star-gate.com> <3209F875.3652CCE1@pobox.com> <slrn50jupd.nc2.knaff@choiseul.inrialpes.fr>
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Alain Knaff (knaff@choiseul.inrialpes.fr) wrote:
: In <3209F875.3652CCE1@pobox.com>, Subhas Roy <subhas@pobox.com> wrote:
: :I think the real reason for Matrox not helping XFree86.org
: :	is probably this:
: :
: :	Matrox sold the specs of their cards to Xinside and MetroX.
: :	Now, if Matrox gives the specs to Xfree for free, Xinside
: :	or Metro might sue them. Matrox is afraid of that.

:  Couldn't they just refund the purchase price of the specs to Xinside
: and MetroX, and thus remove all grounds for a suit.  Certainly this
: purchase price is less than the sum of lost sales due to their
: "secrecy policy", isn't it?

It's more complicated than that. MetroX and Xinside are making a profit from
this information. A refund of the purchase price would mean a loss to Xinside
and MetroX. A refund + loss of profit would amount to a loss to Matrox.

The answer is for XFree to purchase the same information. Now, there would
have to be a deal of somesort to compensate for the high prices of the
proprietary information that way everything would be competitive. As it is
XFree doesn't have any money so that idea goes out the window.

All in all, I use a Matrox card and the Xinside server. It's worth the money.
It's fast. Is it better than XFree? In my opinions, yes. Even if Matrox
released the information, I think I would stick with the Xinside server
since it just simply works faster.


Giao

--
How do you spell "relief"? U-N-I-X.