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Richard Freeman <rich@××××××××××××××.net> posted |
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451DD1EF.3040309@××××××××××××××.net, excerpted below, on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 |
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22:09:51 -0400: |
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> Open-source software has a lot of benefits even for non-programmers. Buy a |
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> proprietary DVR and you can almost guarantee that you won't be able to |
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> migrate your programming when you upgrade models in a few years, and you |
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> probably won't be able to upgrade it. Buy a pre-packaged DVR that uses |
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> FOSS and most likely there WILL be an upgrade and migration path - it |
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> might cost you to have it taken care of for you, but with the proprietary |
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> system it will cost you a LOT more. |
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Very good point indeed. I don't have a DVR as I dropped TV some years ago |
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(I don't like being treated like a programable zombie by the ads, neither |
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do I much care for programming obviously targeted at the folks most likely |
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to be effectively programmed to buy what they obviously don't need by |
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repeating an ad a few times), but the same thing applies to both routers |
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and mp3 players. I've been spending some time recently researching both, |
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for my next upgrades. My next router will likely be a Linksys WRT |
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compatible router (if it's not, it'll be a full computer running a |
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conventional x86 or x86_64/amd64 based Linux kernel), bought with the |
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intent of upgrading it to one of the several open source firmware |
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alternatives available. Likewise, my next mp3 player, which will be my |
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first hard drive based unit, will be purchased with the intent of |
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upgrading it to rockbox or a similar alternative, as well as upgrading the |
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hard drive to a 120 gig or so model. |
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I'm not a programmer, but the ability to upgrade these devices and choose |
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from multiple sources for firmware is pretty valuable to me -- and |
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evidently to a lot of other folks, programmer and non-programmer alike, as |
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well. Just because these folks can't do it themselves matters little, as |
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long as they can replace the firmware, and the hardware is open enough |
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(intentionally or not) so those that /can/ program, can do their thing and |
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create alternative firmware for the rest of us to use. |
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-- |
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Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. |
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- |
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and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman |
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-- |
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