Update On Free Linux Driver Development 272
Remember the offer Greg Kroah-Hartman made earlier this year, to get Linux drivers written for free for any company that wanted them? Now an anonymous reader points us to an article up on linuxworld with an update to this program. Greg K-H, who leads the development of several kernel subsystems including USB and PCI, admits that the January offer was a bit of "marketing hype" — but says it has brought companies and developers together anyway. Twelve companies have said "yes please," one driver is already in the kernel, and five more are in the pipeline.
List? (Score:5, Interesting)
Fishing for Drivers (Score:2, Interesting)
vaporware is hype (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:patents, usability (Score:3, Interesting)
As for CUPS, maybe you could narrow down the exact problem and submit a bug report.. or put together an effort to fund someone to work on it.
It's community software.
Can't copy GPL code? (Score:3, Interesting)
From TFA:
What? If the driver code is GPL, why can't I copy it?
I suspect he means "copy" as in "make a derived work" that would have chunks of code taken from the original. But still, this is what GPL is about ... being able to take an existing source and make a derived work from it (that presumably would be better), and redistribute that derived work also under GPL (so someone else can derive from that later on ... and on ... and on).
Re:Why... (Score:5, Interesting)
2. You should maybe leave the kernel development to the kernel developers.
Re:patents, usability (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:patents, usability (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Can't copy GPL code? (Score:3, Interesting)
I think Theo has a better opinion on Free Software than any of the Linux kernel developers do. Now if GNU had actually written a kernel themselves rather than adopted Linux back in the early 90's, we wouldn't have this NDA/blob problem due to RMS. I don't know how far the "GNU desktop" would have come by now, so I don't know how much success they would have in getting hardware companies to provide documentation on how to use the damn hardware.
Re:patents, usability (Score:3, Interesting)
Problems I've had:
Re:Can't copy GPL code? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Why... (Score:3, Interesting)
So the only permanent size increase is in the kernel source code. Assuming that the driver is part of a class of similar devices, there is basically no complexity increase as the driver will bind into the standard API for that class of devices.
So generally there is very little downside to adding new drivers to the tree.
Re:patents, usability (Score:2, Interesting)
Hmm, that reminds me of a sad story.
http://www.smcc.demon.nl/webcam/ [demon.nl]
Re:patents, usability (Score:4, Interesting)
Windows is fine in an office environment, with IT there to fix things.
However:
1) Making Windows secure requires work and knowledge
2) When things go wrong they can be hard to fix, and even when fixed they have a tendency to mysteriously go wrong again.
3) Software is hard to find, install and update. There are no repositories of software that is safe (not malware), will install with a click, and will all be auto updated.
In short: there is no OS that is really suitable for the home, and there are at least some ways in which Linux is better than the competition.
Re:patents, usability (Score:3, Interesting)
and what happens with the stuff that doesn't? can you request your money back or ask for technical support because your trying to use linux? checkmate, i win. the distro that can focus 100% on getting everyday useage right will win IMHO
Re:List? (Score:3, Interesting)
Now that Windows is moving towards a more locked-down kernel, it's certainly technically feasible. It's probably Anticompetitive Behaviour, but that doesn't seem to be illegal in the USA anymore.
Re:List? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:so did he write them for free or didn't he (Score:3, Interesting)
Sometimes, I am just to redundant with a left and right brain tearing my mind apart.