seebs@plethora.net (Peter Seebach) writes:

> In message <200312242007.hBOK7ea02161@left.wing.org>, Ed Gould writes:
> >Has anyone looked into the issues of loading firmware for the Keyspan 
> >USA-19WQ?  Linux can do it, but I don't see any support in NetBSD as 
> >yet.  Has anyone looked into this?  If not, I may after the first of 
> >the year.
> 
> I have.  Keyspan keeps saying they'll look into making a firmware file
> available under usable licensing terms, and then not doing it.  Go ahead
> and nag 'em, I'd love to see support for those.  (Especially the 4-port 49W.)

I'm surprised that they'd even say that. Given the way their hardware
works (nearly-commodity parts with a bunch of firmware they've
written), I don't think they'd ever make their firmware avaliable
under terms that would make it possible for someone else to cheaply
duplicate the hardware and commercially exploit Keyspan's effort in
the firmware. In a real sense, the bulk of their engineering is in the
firmware, not the hardware. Their licensing terms are incompatible
with being first-class parts of a BSD kernel, but entirely rational.

        - Nathan