How VIA Could Have Not Screwed Its Linux Chances

[gtrawoger]

Meh

My last motherboard with a VIA chip on was a Asus A8V-Deluxe. That thing gave me nothing but trouble, Windows or Linux.

I tried in vain to get it to run properly, since it always "dumped" the drives that were connected to it. What would happen is it would slowly step down the speed of the drive until it pretty much disconnected it. There was no reason for it, and there was no pattern to find.

Long story short, the board was replaced and I will vote with my money. No VIA chipset goes into anything I purchase anymore, no matter how enticing the price may be.

And as to whether it was a good thing Michael chose to publish his ideas here or not, it guess it is one of those things that will be seen in hindsight. But I don't think either way would be wrong/right.

[EasyTarget]

What's the point of exposing this whole litany publicly? Do you want VIA to do something? So send this letter directly to the hierarchy instead. If you make good points then they should raise VIA management's interest. If not, well, you'll have tried. So far so good.

But I see no reason to publish this on a web site. If VIA deserves some interest, they'll get some. If not, they won't and they'll lose something. But exposing a theory over the whole Internet about a company like this is the case is not the right way to gain some esteem. Instead of shouting loud to the whole planet about what VIA should have done, talk to VIA directly about what you think they should do.

IMHO.

How come you posted this publicly instead of emailing it directly to Michael?

[marek]

Well I guess the purpose of this server is not to write private emails to troublesome hardware companies, and everybody knows that writing such emails is a waste of time. I think NVIDIA should have bought them so that we can start at least *some* discussion about their patents. Die, VIA, die.

[bugmenot2]

No, there *are* people *behind* VIA.
[...]
Don't you hate when unknown people start telling you what you should do?

I would be thankful if someone pointed out, what I could do better. And of course there are people behind a company. But if someone manages a company he is responsible for the company and should be open to critics. If the person is not open, it's the wrong job. People can say what they want that I should do, I can decide on my own what I do and what I don't do. I don't think the article should be that negative. And maybe it helps.
But I think our positions are clear and of course I accept yours.

[VinzC]

The article is about *VIA*, the company and *VIA* is no person, you can talk to directly. Also Michael does *not* hide behind the article. And I'm sure that linux-interested users will care. And so VIA has to care, or they will go under. I can't see here bashing of a special person. Just the hope, that VIA makes it better in the future.

No, there *are* people *behind* VIA. And [people behind] VIA won't feel concerned now either if they didn't in the first place. Again, when you've got a message to say, go directly to the person that you want to talk to instead. At least you know immediately if the person cares or not. Nothing forces [people behind] VIA to respond to this article, nor to take any further responsibility. And if they don't care at all, certainly not this article will change that.

And again, nobody's at [people behind] VIA's place. Hence no one can pretend to know enough to tell them what they should have done. Main grins against VIA are the lack of transparency; would be surprising if their management were at all. Hence no conclusion about what they should do or not may be drawn so far.

Don't you hate when unknown people start telling you what you should do? Either you're trustworthy and responsible person and no need to tell you anything (or at least not that way) or you deserve no trust at all and the message is pointless anyway. So, yes, in either case this present message is absolutely pointless.

[VinzC]

Publishing a note in the hope the main targeted ?person? is lame, [...]

EDIT: ?in the hope the main targeted ?person? [would read]?

And I seriously doubt Phoronix people are in a good position to pretend at knowing better than VIA themselves what they should have done at their places.

(The EDIT feature doesn't seem to work.)

[bugmenot2]

The article is about *VIA*, the company and *VIA* is no person, you can talk to directly. Also Michael does *not* hide behind the article. And I'm sure that linux-interested users will care. And so VIA has to care, or they will go under. I can't see here bashing of a special person. Just the hope, that VIA makes it better in the future.

[VinzC]

VinzC: What's wrong with publishing an article about bad linux support and tips for doing it better? Also it could be more effective to release it on a website that just write it to VIA itself, they will probably not even read it. If it's released in the public it produces pressure. Don't see what's wrong with it.

Publishing a note in the hope the main targeted ?person? is lame, especially if that person doesn't care. In the latter case, there's no pressure, just a buzz. Nobody cares.

If, in turn, Phoronix representatives, in great interests towards VIA software, go to VIA and exposes their views directly, from person to person, that makes it a much more mature approach. Here it's like throwing a bottle in the sea in the hope it'll be caught. Little chances.

When I've got something to say to anybody I don't hide behind an article written in the press.

Sounds harsh, maybe, but I hate this kind of attitude.

[bugmenot2]

VinzC: What's wrong with publishing an article about bad linux support and tips for doing it better? Also it could be more effective to release it on a website that just write it to VIA itself, they will probably not even read it. If it's released in the public it produces pressure. Don't see what's wrong with it.

[VinzC]

What's the point of exposing this whole litany publicly? Do you want VIA to do something? So send this letter directly to the hierarchy instead. If you make good points then they should raise VIA management's interest. If not, well, you'll have tried. So far so good.

But I see no reason to publish this on a web site. If VIA deserves some interest, they'll get some. If not, they won't and they'll lose something. But exposing a theory over the whole Internet about a company like this is the case is not the right way to gain some esteem. Instead of shouting loud to the whole planet about what VIA should have done, talk to VIA directly about what you think they should do.

IMHO.