[fab] slashdot question -- driver support

[Jesse Keating]

On Thursday 10 August 2006 10:04, Tim Burke wrote:
> Dell, HP, IBM, Intel, AMD, Fujitsu, Hitachi, NEC, etc... they all send
> us hardware and proposed patches.  Further, we encourage these partners
> to be proactively doing testing on Fedora so that things are well
> prepared for RHEL releases.
>
> >  
> >
> >> - RH also works with many companies to help coach and mentor them to the
> >> merits of open source development.  We help guide them through the
> >> process of the upstream development model.
> >>    
> >
> > Examples?
> >  
>
> Broadcom on their network driver. Promise on SATA/SAS.  Intel on network
> driver work.  We have been spending a lot of time collectively between
> IBM/RH and Adaptec on their most recent raid adapter drivers.  The
> Adaptec case is a good example. They saw the light after having the pain
> of not being mainstreamed.  We have been working with them over the past
> 6 months to mentor them to get the driver prepared for upstream
> incorporation.

How much of this is directly because of RHEL though?  If Fedora was TRULY its 
own project, and the stigma of it being a RHEL Alpha was lost, would these 
hardware vendors be as proactive in sending the project hardware?  Or would 
they continue to send RED HAT hardware and RED HAT would have to then divvy 
it out to the Fedora Project.  Would we be able to get hardware into the 
hands of non Red Hat employees, folks out in the community who have the 
ability (and time) to make the latest wizbang hardware from WidgetCo work 
with Fedora / the Kernel?

-- 
Jesse Keating
Release Engineer: Fedora
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