A simple fact on free open-source operating-systems like BSD, or Linux is,
you do not have always every hardware supported, especially not the bleeding edge.
Never was, and presumbly never will.
Anybody with small experience on BSD, or Linux know that, and trys to look for supported hardware before it's bought, and live with not to have the bleeding edge in most cases.
Some may did not experienced the time until app. ~2005(?), when app. every couple of years CPU-frequencys doubled, and every new OS version means: "Buy a new computer! 'cause yours is three years old ancient, obsolete garbage!"
Today you may
want the newest, fastest things, but you don't
have to anymore. I see people here running FreeBSD on over fifteen year old machines. That's great! That's also a form of progress!
If you want all newest hardware supported use Windows.
But with Windows you may f4kked if you want/need to run some old hardware.
I heard there were people threw away their perfectly working scanner, just because they got a newer version of Windows which didn't support it anymore, so they had to buy a new one. Just a rumor I heard...
After all
as
drhowarddrfine also pointed out:
It's up to the hardware's developers, to either deliver support for their hardware, or to provide their sources for others to deliver it.
NVIDIA did it. Now produces FreeBSD drivers by its own.
Twenty years ago that was something you hope for, that companys would support Linux, or even BSD. That was a dream.
So an important start is made.
Additionally
it's a question of prioritys, available resources; things needed to be done, things can be done.
FreeBSD does not have unlimited resources; there are decisions to make:
What will be done, and what needs to wait. Projects with cash flows get priority.
It's that simple.
And one may think to join FreeBSD developer's force instead of just demanding.
And last but not least there are policys.
I guess one of FreeBSD policys is not to become the most famous OS.
For that you need to go the Windows Way, or those of Linux' turn-key-distris.
For that you need to be set up completely different, have some dictator or so.
Anybody ever did any computer-support for Karen Everyuser will for sure not want this nightmare become reality here.
And even if so:
Who then will do the good, the right, the professional OS for the ones who do not depend on everything is working automatically right out of the magic box, but able to do some things themselves on their own, paying this price for transparency, and independency, and other things?
Right.
