Hewlet Packard and Linux

[Janina Sajka]

Well, their answer of "no market" might be closer to the truth than one
might think at first blush. What market is there in something that you get
for free? You can't live on a commission if the sale costs $0.00. They may
have said "no market," but the radical truth is more like "We haven't a
clue of how to get money for it."

 On Fri, 24 Aug 2001, Charles Crawford
wrote:

> Janina and all,
>
> 	I agree that ACB would not be putting speech on a server located where
> nobody needs it.  I do think however that if we are looking at Linux as an
> open system as a major selling point and if we are to force consideration
> of speech interfacing to at least mitigate the damages that can be done by
> full speed ahead Gui development, then we need to take some advocacy
> position that gets the attention of companies.  While the same points can
> be made on a relative scale about Microsoft, there is the underlying value
> of openess to Linux that could easily get lost on our issues if we do not
> take a more proactive stance.
>
> 	I had for example an exchange of email with the owner of an accessibility
> software house in which I pointed out that Linux ought to be
> supported.  The answer was no market, and until there is one; not much will
> happen.
>
> 	So the bottom line is if we want to advance Linux as a solution then it
> must compete in the mainstream for access as well as other things.
>
> 	Hope this made some sense.
>
> -- Charlie.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>

-- 

				Janina Sajka, Director
				Technology Research and Development
				Governmental Relations Group
				American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)

Email: janina at afb.net		Phone: (202) 408-8175

Chair, Accessibility SIG
Open Electronic Book Forum (OEBF)
http://www.openebook.org

Will electronic books surpass print books? Read our white paper,
Surpassing Gutenberg, at http://www.afb.org/ebook.asp

Download a free sample Digital Talking Book edition of Martin Luther
King Jr's inspiring "I Have A Dream" speech at
http://www.afb.org/mlkweb.asp

Learn how to make accessible software at
http://www.afb.org/accessapp.asp