Path: csiph.com!weretis.net!feeder9.news.weretis.net!panix!.POSTED.spitfire.i.gajendra.net!not-for-mail From: cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc Subject: Re: AI Is Killing Some Legacy Hardware Support Date: Fri, 1 May 2026 00:05:12 -0000 (UTC) Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC Message-ID: <10t0qno$skf$1@reader1.panix.com> References: <10sbn6f$2kkkk$8@dont-email.me> <69f28e2d@news.ausics.net> <10svmfn$8kj$1@reader1.panix.com> <69f3e010@news.ausics.net> Injection-Date: Fri, 1 May 2026 00:05:12 -0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: reader1.panix.com; posting-host="spitfire.i.gajendra.net:166.84.136.80"; logging-data="29327"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@panix.com" X-Newsreader: trn 4.0-test77 (Sep 1, 2010) Originator: cross@spitfire.i.gajendra.net (Dan Cross) Xref: csiph.com comp.os.linux.misc:86049 In article <69f3e010@news.ausics.net>, Computer Nerd Kev wrote: >Dan Cross wrote: >> So, to answer the question, "is it free for me?" the answer is >> no, it is not. But it never has been. Yes, presumably you >> installed whatever distribution you are using gratis, and yes, >> it has worked for you for some time. But that's largely >> coincidence: if you had some obscure hardware device that had >> never been supported at all, you would be in largely the same >> situation. The reality is that it only ever "worked" because >> someone ate the cost of doing the work to make it work, and >> offered the result of that work up for no charge; but the cost >> was still paid in terms of someone's time and effort, with no >> guarantee of continued effort indefinitely into the future. > >Sure, I agree, and if BSD might still do that I should look at >them. That's all I've been proposing to do. Go for it! >> What we are seeing now is that no one is stepping up to bear >> that continued cost, and so the effort has ceased; again, no >> one is "forcing" you to do anything. A way to look at it is >> you can't force developers to continue to support something on >> their own dime that you're not willing to pay for yourself, >> either monetarily or with your own time and effort. >> >> It's really no more complex than that, I'm afraid. > >Yes nobody's forcing me to use Linux, hence I'm not arguing with >the Linux developers about what they should spend their time on, >but looking at what the BSD developers are spending their time on, >in case it now fits my needs better. Welp, good luck with it. You may even find it more to your taste on general grounds. - Dan C.