The Problem with Proprietary Drivers and Linux

A large percentage of the population is concerned only with one thing when they make use of their computers: they want their experience to be both time and cost-efficient. A little problem with using proprietary drivers with open platforms like Linux, however, could prevent users from enjoying that.

Why It Doesn’t Always Work
In an ideal world, there would always be open-sourced video drivers – and open drivers for other devices, too, for that matter – that’s quick and effective to use with open-sourced operating systems.

But in reality, open source platforms and proprietary ones don’t always work together well. Say you want your 3D desktop to work for some reason. The easiest solution to this would be to enable default video drivers with your open source OS – e.g. Linux – rather than go to the trouble of looking for a compatible proprietary video driver.

Let’s try another example. What if you have your entire library music files – something you spent a huge amount of money and time building – locked in a program that makes use of a proprietary driver? Then you have an unexpected need to switch to another OS, one that doesn’t support that particular driver, you’d be summarily forced to convert all your files just to make them work with another system. That’s going to be a tedious job, don’t you think? If you knew this would happen, would you still stick with a proprietary driver in the first place?

User-friendliness is another critical factor. Sure, open source software drivers are just that – open and give you the freedom of choice, but can they also match the level of user-friendliness that you have enjoyed with your current proprietary driver?

VoIP Drivers – Ekiga versus Skype
Let’s consider another angle. This time, let’s talk about VoIP drivers, particularly those for installing Ekiga and Skype.

Ekiga is not as well-known as Skype and its user numbers is certainly nowhere close to those of Skype. But it is an open-source program and in the past, it was the best VoiP and video conferencing application for GNOME and works well enough with Linux.

But then Skype became operable with Linux. Users of Ekiga could very well switch to Skype not only because it has made noticeable improvements with its previous driver issues but also for the mere fact that it’s also more commonly used by those using closed operating systems of Microsoft and Mac.

In the end, it’s still your choice, though…and a matter of finding the right balance between proprietary and open drivers.

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