<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="SGML-Tools 1.0.9"> <TITLE>Linux Advocacy mini-HOWTO: Vendor Relations</TITLE> <LINK HREF="Advocacy-9.html" REL=next> <LINK HREF="Advocacy-7.html" REL=previous> <LINK HREF="Advocacy.html#toc8" REL=contents> </HEAD> <BODY> <A HREF="Advocacy-9.html">Next</A> <A HREF="Advocacy-7.html">Previous</A> <A HREF="Advocacy.html#toc8">Contents</A> <HR> <H2><A NAME="s8">8. Vendor Relations</A></H2> <P> <P> <UL> <LI>When contemplating a hardware purchase, ask the vendor about Linux support and other user's experiences with the product in a Linux environment. </LI> <LI>Consider supporting vendors that sell Linux based products and services. Encourage them to have their product listed in the <A HREF="http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/Commercial-HOWTO.html">Linux Commercial HOWTO</A>. </LI> <LI>Support vendors that donate a portion of their income to organizations such as the <A HREF="http://www.gnu.org/help/help.html">Free Software Foundation</A>, the <A HREF="http://li.org/li/fund/grants.shtml">Linux Development Grant Fund</A>, the <A HREF="http://www.xfree86.org/donations.html">XFree86 Project</A> or <A HREF="http://www.debian.org/donations.html">Software in the Public Interest</A>. If possible, make a personal donation to these or other organizations that support <A HREF="http://www.opensource.org/">open-source software</A>. Don't forget that some employers offer a matching gift program program. </LI> <LI>If you need an application that is not supported on Linux, contact the vendor and request a native Linux version.</LI> </UL> <P> <P> <HR> <A HREF="Advocacy-9.html">Next</A> <A HREF="Advocacy-7.html">Previous</A> <A HREF="Advocacy.html#toc8">Contents</A> </BODY> </HTML>
