Increasing occurrence of platform problems

[Seth Cohn]

> NVidia's video card firmware was Open Source wouldn't guarantee it
> would work with Asus's Open Source motherboard firmware.

Apples and Oranges... video card firmware wasn't the topic.  It was
Bios we were discussing.

>   It's also not like Open Source is bug free.  It just lets "everyone"
> find and fix the bugs.  That's a big improvement, sure, but it's not a
> panacea.

I never said it was.  But it would still be better than the closed
source solution put forward by Apple/Sun/etc/etc...

> And crap code is crap code, regardless of how Open Source it
> is.  I've seen plenty of FOSS crap code.

Given a simple fixed purpose like BIOS(es), crap code won't get used
or spread.  We're not talking about bad code that says 'hello world',
we're talking I want to boot off USB.  Either it works, or it dies.
Either it does something cool, or nobody will use it.  There are
crappy/good Linux kernel modules that never made in into 'the real
thing' until they are tested and found worthy.... the technocracy
would handle it fine.

>   Further, in the context of the discussion, Open BIOS would be just
> another de facto standard/industry consortium.

I linked to a few alternatives, so it's not about making a new single
standard, it's about allowing choice.  If there was a Debian/RedHat
type of split in Bios, that would be good for everyone in some ways...

>   Unrelated: Please trim...

[Rest trimmed.  Irony police alerted.  "Get a Life and Stop Nit
Picking" care package mailed off to Ben, contents include camomile
tea, a sleeping mask to use as a blindfold, and soothing white noise
generator.]