Decent Linux Drivers: Seriously, what is going on?

[Effenberg0x0]

Hi Boyblue,

I am not VIA staff so can't answer your question to them

Thanks for taking yout time

but I thought the whole point of Linux is that it is free, open source and for people that like to play around with an computing operating system.

Dude, I will have to disagree. You have to consider professional, and non-professional use... Linux trully is a good alternative for many end-users companies and also third-sector. Please don't see it only as a geek toy. Let me give you an example: ALL Public schools in Brazil use Linux, because the government no longer could afford Windows and Office Licenses. Small kids are not programmers. All they want (and they deserve) is a working PC to study and play. Most of this cheap hardware in schools, public buildings, etc, runs on VIA based motherboards... The educational software ofently uses OpenGL and stuff than does not work on VIA based PCs!!

There are now so many Linux versions out there which one should VIA or any other company support so you can have your laptop working.

No, Linux does not work lie this... No distribution will support VIA hardware to all it's possibilities until VIA helps ora developer manages to "find out" the internal hardware specs and functions... Once either of this happens, *all* Linux distos will support it. VIA should actually cooperate with XORG, which is present in all distros (as Intel and many others do!).

Your computer was sold to you with XP on it, did you asked the sale person if it would run Linux any version, did you research the net about it. No I see you did not. If XP runs everything you want why use linux at all, I don't get it.

My computer was sold with Linux. I bought it with Linux, expecting it to work. I had never had hardware based on VIA before, so I didn't know it wouldn't work. I never expected that. The laptop vendor does a lot of publicity in Brazil about it's Linux laptops and how they work out-of-the-box. I trusted that. Now they say it's not their fault but VIA's, and after researching the NET and trying to make this thing work for so long, I do agree with the vendor. It is VIA responsibility. Yes, I did try XP to see if it would work, but I am not a XP user, I don't like it, I prefer Linux, I am not gonna go back to Windows...

My opinion (again): I think VIA or any chipset manufacturer can go two ways:

1. Not support Linux, only Windows, *explicitly*, no small letters, in all it's communication and publicity. "We don't do Linux, period."
2. Support Linux, understading it is a important OS and thus follow the Linux community "rules" and "expectations", to the best of it's efforts, or at least with the same will as Windows is supported.

I don't see any advantage for end-users or for the chipset company to be in between this two categories.

Effenberg

[Effenberg0x0]

Sorry Boyblue, I had not seen one other reply of yours which I'd like to comment on too...

One thing I do know instead of slagging people or companies off when one wants something from them is to ask politely if something can be done.

Maybe you are not aware that there are at least 3 existing opensource Linux projects trying for at least 5 years to make drivers for VIA, in constant talks with their administrative and developers areas for all this time. Most of ths guys gave up recently, as VIA refuses to help with specs but also doesn't release working drivers and still claims to support Linux, which is not true.

Also, we're not talking about"what *one* wants. Dude, you don't have any idea how many PCs with VIA are sold here in the third world... And this is where Linux user base is ceoncentrated, for obvious reasons. Google for it, you'll see like thousand and thousand of threads all around starting in 1999 and up to today...

I worked for a company where people (customers) demand without a please or a thank you and wonder why service is bad to them.

I agree to that, I have also seen that personally. The point is, there currently is no reason at all to thank VIA. You won't find a single VIA happy-client (Linux user) around. Check google, there are thousands of posts at Ubuntu, Debia, Fedora and many other distributions, sick of it. It's been years of claims and pledges, the opensource projects trying their best with no support from VIA, people are really, *really* sick of it. This is what brought me here! As I stated, I just want to understand what is going on!

Anyhow lets hope VIA can help you people out and remember ask nicely. I know personally I always repond better to politeness.

I agree to that, too. But, I am not a VIA friend or fan, as ant Linux or Windows user is. We're just clients, who feel betrayed or tricked by the company. I don't think I am being unpolite or anything like that, I have a right to expect hardware to work, to receive feedback from the product manufacturer and to have any opinion I want. It's not like I am trolling this forum or your domains with bad words and such. I am just expressing my opinion and VIA will have to respect that.

Thanks for your replies!

Effenberg

[antoniocaputo]

Originally Posted by boyblue

One thing I do know instead of slagging people or companies off when one wants something from them is to ask politely if something can be done.

WTF??? Sorry, there is a misunderstanding, I'm not asking politely for a favor from VIa. I brought a via epia EN12000 (250 euros at that time) after reading that Via was supporting linux, which is false.
I do not ask politely what is my RIGHT! I DEMAND a working driver ad Via should be obliged to do such a thing, or remove the claim that it's supporting linux and refund my hardware.

I worked for a company where people (customers) demand without a please or a thank you and wonder why service is bad to them.

Hey It's Via's fault, not mine. Do you remember the saying "the customer is always right"? I'm an unsatisfied customer and as such I'm not polite at all. I'll be polite to Via when Via will behave politely with me by doing what it's expected to do: support Linux.

Anyhow lets hope VIA can help you people out and remember ask nicely.

Not at all!! I'm not asking for a favor!! As a customer I have rights and I expect Via to respect them, nicely or not.

I know personally I always repond better to politeness.

For what I care Via could offend me and still release a decent driver. I wouldn't bother with that (even though many others could), I only want Via to do what it has to do.

[Effenberg0x0]

antoniocaputo, I could not agree more to everything you said.
I think we share the exact same level of disappointment, as the whole Linux-Via community does...

Effenberg

[lucats55]

I think that too much people have been cheated by VIA... I think that VIA needs a reason (or better "an incentive") to self protect (releasing fully functional drivers) from what all the world goes to say: "VIA Linux support is a fake!". Let's do a petition over www.PetitionOnline.com! Let's hear to them our voices!!!

Please post some proposal for the petition text. And before February we will publish the petition!

[Helix]

yes, I agree.
VIA is cheating.

[antoniocaputo]

If someone can write out a decent text to put into the petition I'll be the first to sign for it.
I'm not a native english speaking so I doubt my english could be good enough to write that text.

[Effenberg0x0]

I'm not a native english speaking

Neither am I, but I'll try to come up with something good tomorrow and I'll post it here.

Regards,
Effenberg

[lucats55]

I am not natively english too but we can use the previous posts for "set up" the petition message. After that we need some email addresses of VIA. So we can communicate them our initiative and start to gain attention.

C'mon!

Lets look at AMD and ATI: before last months they have supported only MS operating systems! Due to a day-by-day growing demand they are releasing a full support linux drivers for graphic boards and they works fine (not like nVidia ones, but fine)!

Why VIA can't do the same?

[Mr. Chris]

My first thought would be why did Fujitsu set up a laptop with "crappy video drivers" and sell it that way then blame VIA? WTF is that all about?

I don't know much about Linux either so I won't get into a discussion about why things don't work right with it and VIA graphics. I presume VIA does have full time driver staff and I'm sure they have been busy with VISTA stuff for quite a while now.

What percent of the PC user's market is Linux? Like most companies, I'm sure VIA puts most effort on what is best in terms of sales.

Maybe VIA boards should come with disclaimer about which OS is supported. But then shouldn't Fujitsu have done that? VIA did NOT build the laptop. Fujitsu did. Get your money back from them.

Also please understand this is a Member Support Forum. There is no direct VIA Tech Support. I have forwarded this Thread to a VIA rep, we'll see if they answer. Chris.