Considering my last post, I should probably clarify something.
I actually go very far out of my way to find hardware that works with open source drivers before I buy it. Of all the hardware I have right now (which is a lot), only two of those use proprietary drivers: my nvidia video cards, and my USB wireless stick — and I’m going to return the second one. So, in that regard I think I’m actually doing pretty well.
In fact, I bought my Plextor ConvertX the same day they mentioned they released some kernel drivers [update: legacy link] (under the GPL even), and I’ve been happy with it ever since. I had tried a Hauppauge WinTV card before, and while it’s possible to get it working with the binary wrappers, it was a royal pain. The Plextor ones are beautiful in contrast. They have always worked flawlessly. Even my HP printer uses open source drivers, also developed by the manufacturer. You can’t beat that. And, I’m looking to get a new wireless router just so I can run OpenWRT on it.
So, for what it’s worth, just wanted to point out that I’m not indifferent about the whole proprietary drivers thing. Quite the opposite. But, I’m flexible when I have no other options.
I tell you what. 🙂