Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (3605 mails)

[Per Jessen <per@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

James Knott wrote:

>> As to whether the GPL vs non-GPL drivers issue will prevent Linux
>> from becoming mainstream, I'm not so sure.  Very large European
>> public administrations have already gone Linux - perhaps it's not
>> mainstream, but very impressive nonetheless.
> 
> It's a problem if it makes it impossible to use commonly available
> hardware.

I agree it's a problem, but that's not the same as preventing Linux from
mainstream - whatever that means.  

>> I beg to differ.  So far we use only SUSE Linux, and we've only hit
>> one case where 10.1 did not provide the driver - Atheros wifi.   We
>> got it from madwifi instead.  Our hardware is very varied - IBM
>> Thinkpads, misc workstations, desktops, Compaq servers.
> 
> I have an IBM ThinkPad R31, which uses the slamr modem driver.  Will
> it still work in 10.1?  10.2?

Isn't that what this thread started out discussing - that 10.1 does not
have the slamr module. 

> If a manufacturer chooses to make a non-GPL module, what's the
> problem???  I'm not saying SUSE or other has to include it, but to
> actually prevent it from being used???  That's nonsense!!!  

But they're not.  SUSE may not be distributing a non-GPL module/driver,
but nothing can prevent you from retrieving it from elsewhere.



/Per Jessen, Zürich


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