FC: How do you feel knowing that there are a few really big corporations with million dollar budgets all peddling Linux, and you do all this critical work of helping Linux gain webcams support -by the hundreds!-, yet
not a single one of those big firms has decided to formally sponsor your work?
MX: my work is not "Linux Kernel centred" my goal is to provided video input support for Linux users, and I am not sure that these big companies are interested in the end user
.
FC: well, I think they should. Google does, for instance, since they bought this Nordic firm days ago which does cross-platform video conferencing software in Java. So if they want everyone to do video conferencing regardless of OS, drivers suddenly is an issue. OK, you won't say it but I will: shame on RedHat, Novell, Linspire, and IBM, to name just a few, for not caring about this. Is there anything you want to add?.
MX: Yes, that despite the old picture you are going to use on the article, notice that I stopped smoking in June 2006.
[I'm sure Mr. Ballmer will be sending you tons of tobacco after reading this article].
FC: Thanks very much Michel for your time, and for the drivers as well. I see that the ZC0301P chipset used in my "DigiGR8" webcam is listed, but I haven't been able to make my webcam work yet, so let's cut the chat and start the (virtual) hair-pulling exercise.
MX: You're welcome.
The INQuirer