Subject: Re: [linux-audio-user] (OSS vs. RME) vs. (OSS + RME) [slightly OT]
From: Marek Peteraj (marpet_AT_naex.sk)
Date: Sun Dec 19 2004 - 06:48:04 EET
On Sat, 2004-12-18 at 14:56, Rick Taylor wrote:
> On Saturday 18 December 2004 09:59 am, Marek Peteraj wrote:
> > On Sat, 2004-12-18 at 01:49, Lee Revell wrote:
> > > On Fri, 2004-12-17 at 15:38 +0100, Marek Peteraj wrote:
> > > > Is there a difference between you getting paid by RME or any other
> > > > company for doing a closed or open source driver?
> > >
> > > I would work on an open driver for free (well, someone would have to
> > > give me the hardware) because like many others I feel that working on
> > > open source software is its own reward.
> >
> > An open source driver isn't the same thing as open source software other
> > than both being open source. From the companies' perspective, an open
> > source driver is likely going to be the cause for a higher revenues
> > these days(although some people may think that the numbers would not be
> > that interesting still, assume it's ~100 for RME and ~20000 for newer
> > ATI cards, although i think it's a higher number). Still no investement
> > has been made into developing and supporting such drivers. Instead, the
> > oss devs are doing that kind of work basically for free(perhaps they get
> > one free unit), as a service for the companies. I think it's pretty much
> > unfair.
> >
> > Marek
>
> Is there anyplace where you get stats and demographics as to the number of RME
> users on linux? Maybe if you could approach them with concrete numbers?
In case of RME this wouldn't be that accurate since there don't seem to
be that many people who are willing to participate on a market research
type project(enter your name and type of card). The forum thread didn't
go above 30 posts, but there were many RME users who participated in the
RME thread on lad/lau, which in turn didn't participate in the forum
thread, and a rough search through the lad archives revealed another
dozen of RME users(haven't tried lau and ardour dev/user lists). There
are people who bought 2 products from RME. And there are many people
outside lad/lau which do use linux audio and probably RME hardware(so
such project would need to be broadly announced, /. and similar).
The ATI numbers are pretty accurate though (the ATI petition).
> I
> somehow doubt they care all that much about their copyright...
Copyright isn't the issue here. The issue here is basically - someone
does work he doesn't get paid for, and another one profits from such
work.
Marek
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