linuxaudio.org

Last Saturday 27 November 2004 21:36, Lee Revell was like:

quoted text
> On Sat, 2004-11-27 at 15:43 -0500, Lee Revell wrote:

> > > Did this happen?

> >

> > Maybe not to them but look at Mackie and Behringer.

>

> Just to save people some googling here is a thread that documents the

> long and colorful history of pro audio hardware manufacturers blatantly

> ripping each other off, often leaving the victims with no legal

> recourse:

>

> http://homerecording.com/bbs/archive/index.php/t-74439.html

>

> IMO the issue is not whether RME's concern is valid - clearly it is.

> Sorry, but arguing otherwise makes us look stupid and naive.  The issue

> is how to address this concern.  If that means a closed source Linux

> driver, fine.

>

> Maybe the reason no firewire hardware is supported is because Behringer

> and their ilk would instantly have all the info they need to copy the

> design and mass produce it.  Doesn't matter how cheap the device is to

> design - it will _always_ be cheaper to rip someone off than design it

> yourself.  They can even sell at a loss, due to huge cash reserves -

> they only need to sustain it long enough to put the competition out of

> business.  In the case of the "Swizz Army Tuner", the original designers

> were ripped off by Behringer, but a lawsuit would have bankrupted them

> _even if they won_ so could not take action.

>

> I think many people in this thread underestimate how cutthroat the

> hardware business is.

Yeah, If I was the MD of RME, after reading some of the responses on this

thread I'd be thinking of flippin' the bird at all these ungrateful linux

users. We're a minority group and I think the onus is on us to convince RME

to produce a driver for their firewire hardware, politely and if necessary,

via the florists ;-). OK, so closed-source drivers are far from ideal, but

better than a hole in the head.
It means that the drivers can't be bundled with distros and we won't be able

to provide users & developers with technical support, which is a great shame.
However, I suspect a certain amount of well-reasoned persistence will pay off

here. Sure, our numbers on this list aren't great, but they are significant.

People are now migrating to GNU/Linux systems on a daily basis, even the

'newbies' on this list are probably considered to be 'computer gurus' amongst

their immediate circle of friends. This list is the tip of an iceberg.
OK, _very_ few people are using firewire technology for music, up till now I'd

considered it the preserve of mac/motu users. I think we should continue to

support RME where licenses allow and look forward to the day that they

release their firewire drivers :-). I think we should keep up the pressure on

manufacturers like MOTU too. They'll see sense eventually. ;-]
Mine is an equally naive viewpoint, but with the knowledge that a little bit

of positive thinking can go a long way, especially when backed up with a

well-researched wish-list and plenty of patience. Three years ago, I thought

owning my own DAW on next to no money was a bit of a naive pipe-dream.
Uh, ... be careful what you wish for! ;-)
tim hall

http://glastonburymusic.org.uk