[ltp] [Fwd: [Fwd: A linux driver for IBM TrackPoint devices (GPL)]]

[Bill Mair]

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Harald Milz wrote:

> Sorry to undervalue the petition but I know IBM long enough to know that 600-odd
> underwriters don't impress IBM legal much.

Look at it another way. If the sale of 600 ThinkPads to a single potential customer
were dependant on MWave support for Linux, I think that that would motivate IBM to do
something.

600+ individual mails asking for support can be individually polished off.

A concerted attempt from 600+ inidividuals all pulling on the same string could, and
this is what I'm hoping, should, have a similar effect in IBM as that of the single
customer scenario.

I never asked IBM to release IP or GPL (IBM PL, or what ever) their source, I as many
others would just like to have IBM deliver support for their H/W on our platform of
choice, Linux. An OS that IBM has repeatedly announced their intrest in various ways.

<RANT>
And for what it's worth, after a petition from over 800 individuals, IBM decided to
port their complete "VisualAge for Java" to Linux. They realized that there was a real
market for this product.

I know that some people would argue: "Hey, you bought it anyway, so why should IBM do
anything", but IMHO more people would look at ThinkPads in the Linux world if there
were real support for the H/W directly from IBM.

I would also like to add that people like Thomas Hood (author of tpctl), Stein Vråle
(linuxconf for tpctl), Martin Fluch (ncurses for tpctl) and Till Straumann (Trackpoint
for TP), all help the rest of us use their HW more effectively, with little or no help
from IBM. Not to mention the numerous users who share their expertise and experiences
in form of web pages and contributions to mailing lists like this one.

IBM seems to think that there is a potential for Linux on the server market, but they
are also now seeming to wake up to the idea that Linux is also a desktop system.

On the whole Linux MWave subject, I even sent a mail to Lou Gerstner (See
http://www.ibm.com/scripts/email-lvg.pl) drawing his (I know, one of his minions)
attention to the petition (See http://www.bm-soft.com/~bm/mwave_petition.html). All I
recieved was an automated response that someone, some where at some time would look at
the mail. :-(
No other response. Nothing. Nil. Zip. Zilch.

I would ask all of you that have signed the petition to do the same, fill out the above
form, and ask for MWave support.
If IBM gets tons of requests this way, then they may wake up and smell the roses.
</RANT>

Sorry for ranting on, but getting IBM to move on this, is something I really feel
strongly about.

Bill.

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