[PLUG] CRT dark...

plug_0 at robinson-west.com plug_0 at robinson-west.com
Sat Sep 9 22:32:44 UTC 2006


Quoting Russ Johnson <russj at dimstar.net>:

> plug_0 at robinson-west.com wrote:
> > I have a 19" Viewsonic that has gotten dark.  I like it because it is
> compatible
> > with Linux, it can acheive 1600x1280 max resolution.
> I've not heard of a monitor that won't work with Linux. Yes, there are 
> edge cases, but this doesn't sound like one of them.
> 
> I've heard of monitors that won't do the resolution you are asking for, 
> but that's not the fault of Linux. That's the hardware.
> 
> What I've found is that monitors are less expensive to acquire than to fix.
> 
> Even this 20.1" widescreen LCD I'm looking at right now was less than 
> $400, does 1680 X 1050, and has a fantastic picture. It works in every 
> OS I've thrown at it, and I test a lot of them.
> 
> A 19" CRT monitor that supports 1600x1280 resolution should be less than 
> $200 brand new. That's why it's hard to find repair shops. They can't 
> stay in business fixing 2 or 3 monitors a year, when buying a new 
> monitor is easier and faster.
> 
> Russ



First off, who is to say that monitors can't be fixed profitably?  I suppose
it's okay for people to simply throw electronic equipment in the dump if it
costs money to do the right thing.  It's easy to produce disposable electronics,
but it is not environmentally friendly.  I for one, like others I'm sure, 
want to be able to use what I know works.  Name one LCD panel or CRT
manufacturer anywhere that will let the buyer know their display is Linux
compatible up front.  It is safe to assume, for the most part, that a standard
monitor will work with Linux.  That which is valid today may not be valid 
in the future.

With a company like HP trying to "plug intellectual property leaks," 
it seems quite clear that companies want to have and charge the public 
for use of proprietary closed technology.  Does anyone think these companies
care which part of the hardware or software in a person's computer is
proprietary?  An attitude that the public shouldn't have access to 
technologies they understand completely which will serve their needs 
fully seems very much alive.  Since when is it a good move for HP's top exec 
to attempt to keep her position after being caught entrapping her own 
employees via illegal wire taps?  I used to think that HP was an OSS 
friendly company.  Anymore, I question the company's real motivation 
with this recent scandal.  HP generally isn't a monitor manufacturer, 
but it's the sorta attitude this scandal has revealed which suggests 
to me that their is room for future compatibility problems.

My monitor, though dark, is what I have right now.  I'm low on funds, it's a
shame if I have no money to dispose of it that it will be difficult to do the
environmentally right thing.  Monitors aren't the only problem, how many 
circuit boards contain lead solder?  Disposable digital cameras have circuitry
in them, what is the impact on the environment from these being tossed into
our landfills?  Will we poison vital groundwater sources by throwing consumer
electronics into our landfills?  If people have to spend their own money to do
the right thing with worn out electronic devices that aren't worth fixing, I
seriously that the majority will.

Michael Robinson

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