You are probably 100% correct on the politics of this situation. But you talk like hardware developer's are actively trying to shut out access to Linux users. Why would they bother? If it works for Linux, great - more customers! If not, who cares? The majority of people aren't technically savvy enough, or care about computer enough to give a damn. Windows still being dominant in five years is pretty much locked, I think. Sheer momentum from the masses will keep them in the front, even if some killer new device comes out tomorrow that can completely replace computers as we know them! As useful and handy as F/OSS software is, most people don't understand that free can mean great value. They expect free actually means limited, second-rate, and hard to use. Sadly, It doesn't matter what you say, do, or demonstrate - it will stay that way.

Sure, everyone "could" copy. But would they? Being technically minded as I am, I "could" illegally download just about any ebook I want. However, I buy my ebooks, because I have a real reason to buy - the distribution system is convenient, the price is not exorbitant, and I want to support the author so that he can afford to keep writing (and thus later I get to buy a sequel). I tell you what DOESN'T make me buy books - copyright. Copyright has become a sham law that is only observed by those who are already willing to pay for content, and is blatantly ignored by those who wouldn't pay anyway. Tell me this - why is a book written 61 years ago now a legal bogeyman that stifles the distribution of the creative works of a modern author? Copyright was intended to give a modest protection (originally, 14 years) to an author in a time when there was no means to verify authenticity of creative works. Copyright proponents have turned this into lifetime plus 70 years, so that the children and grandchildren of successful authors can be protected from, what, new authors creating derivative works?