[rescue] OT: Linux and USB on Intel

[Robert Novak]

On Sun, Apr 20, 2003 at 04:13:22PM -0400, Dave McGuire wrote:
> On Sunday, April 20, 2003, at 02:57 PM, David Passmore wrote:
> >
> >Linux has taught the computer industry that hardware failures are normal,
> >that cheap power supplies "just fry", that hardware is cheap, obselete
> >quickly, and that it's "ok" to need to replace machines constantly.
> 
>   Sadly, I have to agree with this.  But you must admit that this 
> mentality is far, far worse in the Windows side of the world.

The problem with this statement is that it has absolutely nothing to do 
with Linux. At least not in the real world. It describes Windows, as I
mentioned earlier. 

If the Windows mentality is to be blamed on Linux, it should be blamed
as well on FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD equally as well. They do the same
evil things (make old hardware usable, make new hardware more usable,
cost less than $200/system to license). They do the same evil things,
in various subsets, to other platforms as well. 

>   This whole "obsolete after four months" thing is a PC world thing, 
> not a Windows or Linux world thing.  Linux people tend to be at least 
> somewhat clueful 

Agreed. A lot of us got into Linux (and *BSD for that matter) because
we couldn't afford Windows licenses. I spent $100 on my first PC, a
386/33 with 16meg of DIP ram, and couldn't go spend another $100 on
Windows. So I downloaded Slackware (which was viable at the time) and
ran it for 2-3 years. When that hard drive died a miserable death, I
installed Redhat. 

There's a SPARC classic in the other room that ran full bore for DNS and
MX service on Linux for something short of 5 years. If that is proof of
Linux teaching people that old hardware is expendable and in need of
frequent replacing with bleeding edge gear, I think someone's having 
delusions, and he's not the one sitting in a room with two easter bunnies
and a black cat. :-)

--Rob

-- 
Robert Novak, Indyramp Consulting * rnovak at indyramp.com * indyramp.com/~rnovak
	"I don't want to doubt you, Know everything about you
      I don't want to sit Across the table from you Wishing I could run."