Wild and crazy times for the development tree

[Mike A. Harris]

Ralf Corsepius wrote:
> On Mon, 2006-03-20 at 19:43 -0500, Mike A. Harris wrote:
>>Whenever I do need/want 3D enabled support for something in Linux,
>>I fire up another machine and use it instead, leaving my primary
>>desktop in a stable DRI-disabled state.
>>
>>To answer the "when do I want decent 3D performance" question,
>>I must first answer "When do I want accelerated 3D at all?".
> 
>>So, what do I use OpenGL for?  More or less for video games,
> 
> You are ignoring the fact, Linux has a strong user base in people with a
> scientific/engineering/technical background ...

No, I'm not ignoring any facts at all.  My email clearly stated what
_I_ am using, and why, for my _own_ reasons.  I also clearly stated
that other people's situations are likely very different, and that
different people have different needs.  People with a scientific/
engineering/technical background are no exception.  _EVERY_ person's
needs is likely to be different in some way from the next guy.

My comments were not intended to recommend to people they should do what
_I_ decide have decided to do for me.  I clearly stated that also.

I was merely answering the question asked, which was "what do _I_
use OpenGL for".  And yes, I am a scientific/engineering/technical
person.


>>Now...  if I _was_ actually trying to get a game or some other
>>accelerated OpenGL software to work in Linux, I would use
>>whatever the best card I have on hand with OSS driver support
>>was at the given point in time. 
> 
> Whether you like it or not ... reality is different.

The email was about _MY_ chosen reality, not about your reality.
You can not change my own reality, nor my personal requirements or
preferences.  As stated, other people have different needs and
requirements which may be very different from what my own needs
and requirements are.  I did not in any way imply that everyone
should do what _I_ decide to do.  Don't put words in my mouth, or
read more into what I am saying, than what I am actually saying.


> People are pragmatically using what they have/can get/are supplied with,
> and will ditch the distro or even the OS if it doesn't suite to their
> demands.

Yes, some people will indeed do that.  As I said, everyone has their
own individual perogatives.  Mine is different from yours, and yours
is different from the next guy.  There are likely to be "groups" of
people in the same boat, other groups of people in boat #2, boat #3,
and even likely to be overlaps between some of the different boats,
but in no way whatsoever is there a one-size-fits-all solution for
everyone.

I myself have not ditched the distro or even the OS.  I do however
utilize "that other OS" when I feel the need to do so, because Linux
currently does not suit my personal demands.


> Fortunately for Fedora, the proprietary drivers have worked
> sufficiently well.

That's not even completely true.  It depends on which proprietary driver
it is you are talking about, what specific hardware you have, what
type of displays you have attached, and what the support is like for
your specific desired configuration, what driver features you need/want,
and wether they're supported or not.  The proprietary drivers work well
for some people, and other people can't get them to work at all.
Sometimes they can't get them to work due to their own incompetence, or
simple human error in not following instructions.  Other times it is due
to incompatibilities between the proprietary software and the specific
kernel they're using, specific X server they're using, or the particular
motherboard they have, the BIOS they have, or some other combination
of factors.  I can completely guarantee that there is a whole host of
people out there who have had nothing but endless problems with
proprietary drivers out there from _any_ vendor, many of whom have
sworn to never use proprietary drivers again.  I know, I get to hear
about it all week long every week.

As I said before, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.  Some people
simply refuse to use proprietary Linux drivers for ideological reasons,
or on some other principle.  Others may have tried to use them and been
unable to get them to work, or found their specific hardware isn't
supported.

To each his own.


-- 
Mike A. Harris  *  Open Source Advocate  *  http://mharris.ca
                       Proud Canadian.