Subject: Re: slashdot on 'OpenBSD Activism Shows Drivers Can Be Freed'
To: None <tech-net@NetBSD.org>
From: David Young <dyoung@pobox.com>
List: tech-net
Date: 11/02/2004 11:57:40
On Tue, Nov 02, 2004 at 10:05:13AM -0700, Sam Leffler wrote:
> On Tuesday 02 November 2004 06:25 am, David Young wrote:
> > ? ? I think the real reason Atheros and other WiFi chipmakers are not
> > ? ? opening things up is that they want to protect their intellectual
> > ? ? property. ?Someone at Atheros has told me that is a key reason.
> > ? ? I doubt that there are major innovations in the software interface
> > ? ? (register set, descriptor ring format, blah blah) that give them a
> > ? ? competitive advantage.
> 
> This is bs.  I can state with certainty that there is no IP in the freely 
> available hal I give out.  Besides anyone with half a clue could figure out 
> how the things you describe work w/o the source code as much of this is 
> visible in the driver.

So we agree, then?

> >From my perspective this is pure sour grapes on your part.

*boggle*

I think them grapes is sweet!

Dave

-- 
David Young             OJC Technologies
dyoung@ojctech.com      Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933