[talk] Ask Slashdot: Workaday Software For BSD On the Desktop?

[Edward Capriolo]

So I know on this thread someone mentioned lenovo (thinkpad). I have a
lenovo yoga. Got it about ~1 year ago at 1K. i5, ssd, 8Gb RAM. Here is what
I found. Linux FC 17, touch screen works out of the box

The wireless licensed in a way that can not come with GNU. Same deal with
the bluetooth drivers.

That is the problem I see: mostly vendors do not know how to license
hardware specific drivers in a way that makes if friendly to GNU or BSD.
You find weird projects that do not build with automake or gcc or whatever
and you have to hack at them. Then you cant include it in a standard distro
because of weird source license. Sometimes you find that a device is
supported but you system does not know it is compatible. Like how a hp
laser jet 2000, works fine with a hp laser jet 1999 driver, but your os
does not know this.



On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 6:59 PM, Pete Wright <pete at nomadlogic.org> wrote:

>
>
> On 11/21/14 15:34, Scott Robbins wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 05:58:20PM -0500, George Rosamond wrote:
>>
>>> Scott Robbins:
>>>
>>>> On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 01:55:28PM -0800, Pete Wright wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 11/21/14 11:17, Scott Robbins wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Fri, Nov 21, 2014 at 09:49:31AM -0800, Pete Wright wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>> (Pete wrote)
>>
>>>
>>>>> you sure?  having a company like apple develop against a unix'y
>>>>> system is pretty helpful.  for example the list of software here is
>>>>> all being used by/patched by apple:
>>>>> https://www.apple.com/opensource/
>>>>>
>>>>
>> (I, Scott, wrote)
>>
>>
>>>> Good point, that I overlooked.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Something got lost here.  Or my reading comprehension is poor.
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Pete brought up OSX users as a group that "uses Unix."  Well, yes, if
>>> you count the fees included in formally making that statement and the
>>> lot of its origins, userland, etc.
>>>
>>> But I would almost put them in the same boat as Ubuntu-esque Linux
>>> users.  They don't know there's a shell on the box/device, well, outside
>>> of Spork's picture.  We were talking about the paths of today's "Unix
>>> users."  I see most OSX users in much the same light: we're alternative
>>> rebels against Windows.. .or at least they used to act like that,
>>> without much more depth.
>>>
>>
>> I think what Pete means is that all those OS X users make vendors worry
>> about Apple, and Apple worry about supporting its users, sometimes
>> creating
>> things that can be used by the BSDs.  I don't pretend to speak for Pete,
>> but that is what I took away from it.
>>
>>
>>
> yea that is pretty much the argument I wasn't clearly stating.  although
> to be honest i think i've even confused myself as to what my original point
> is - lol :)
>
> i think it was:
> - lots and lots of osx users, they don't know they are using unix.  but
> there are a shit ton of them out there for better or worse.
>
> - fair amount of "hackers" using ubuntu or what ever gui linux'y thing is
> cool these days.  they are pretty much clueless when it comes to unix
> design patterns - yet they feel like they invented what ever "project" that
> comes around <cough> docker/containers</cough>.
>
> - and finally traditional unix people that well all know and love.
>
> i also think i was bummed out at some point that i can't find a good
> laptop (hardware wise) to replace my macbook pro.
>
> -pete
>
>
> --
> Pete Wright
> pete at nomadlogic.org
> twitter => @nomadlogicLA
>
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