Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (3605 mails)
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Re: [SLE] Re: And another 10.1 showstopper
- From: Darryl Gregorash <raven@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 31 May 2006 23:44:51 -0600
- Message-id: <447E7ED3.1040608@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
On 31/05/06 10:39, Bruce Marshall wrote:
>On Wednesday 31 May 2006 11:41, Kai Ponte wrote:
>
>>>do they think this is going to lead?
>>>
>>Very interesting - and scary - developments. I had read about how Novell
>>was planning on de-coupling the non-GPL kernel-level drivers from the
>>system and wondered what effect this would have.
>>
>
>Here's an article about it.... NOTE that Novell/SuSE seems to be leading the
>pack on getting rid of non-gpl stuff.
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>Kernel developers have kept proprietary drivers at arms' length, adding a
>feature years ago that could be used to block proprietary modules from
>loading. And in February, Greg Kroah-Hartman, a kernel programmer who works
>for Suse Linux seller Novell, added a patch that will trigger such a blockage
>for the USB subsystem he maintains.
>
>"The USB subsystem will not be allowing closed-source kernel drivers to
>register with it" after February 2008, according to a note with his patch,
>posted online. Those with proprietary functions can move them above the
>kernel level, he argued. But his position against proprietary modules has
>sparked concerns about blocking use of some ISDN networking gear.
Isn't this the same attitude that is supposed to be driving so many
corporations and government departments away from Microsoft? Will they
be making the transition back, once they start discovering that so much
of their shiny new and expensive hardware isn't/won't be/cannot be
supported, because the manufacturers won't play along with the kernel
developers' little mindgames?
What's next on the chopping list of proprietary modules? ATI and nVidia?
Bye-bye ndiswrapper, perhaps? I know I won't be holding my breath
waiting for BluRay support to show up in the Linux kernel. If we are
going to be forced to use only hardware that is on some Linus-approved
list, I do hope that Linus will spend a reasonable amount of time to
make sure the list is a) kept current, and b) made widely available.
Otherwise, we might as well pack it in, and run out to buy XP.
--
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>On Wednesday 31 May 2006 11:41, Kai Ponte wrote:
>
>>>do they think this is going to lead?
>>>
>>Very interesting - and scary - developments. I had read about how Novell
>>was planning on de-coupling the non-GPL kernel-level drivers from the
>>system and wondered what effect this would have.
>>
>
>Here's an article about it.... NOTE that Novell/SuSE seems to be leading the
>pack on getting rid of non-gpl stuff.
>
>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>Kernel developers have kept proprietary drivers at arms' length, adding a
>feature years ago that could be used to block proprietary modules from
>loading. And in February, Greg Kroah-Hartman, a kernel programmer who works
>for Suse Linux seller Novell, added a patch that will trigger such a blockage
>for the USB subsystem he maintains.
>
>"The USB subsystem will not be allowing closed-source kernel drivers to
>register with it" after February 2008, according to a note with his patch,
>posted online. Those with proprietary functions can move them above the
>kernel level, he argued. But his position against proprietary modules has
>sparked concerns about blocking use of some ISDN networking gear.
Isn't this the same attitude that is supposed to be driving so many
corporations and government departments away from Microsoft? Will they
be making the transition back, once they start discovering that so much
of their shiny new and expensive hardware isn't/won't be/cannot be
supported, because the manufacturers won't play along with the kernel
developers' little mindgames?
What's next on the chopping list of proprietary modules? ATI and nVidia?
Bye-bye ndiswrapper, perhaps? I know I won't be holding my breath
waiting for BluRay support to show up in the Linux kernel. If we are
going to be forced to use only hardware that is on some Linus-approved
list, I do hope that Linus will spend a reasonable amount of time to
make sure the list is a) kept current, and b) made widely available.
Otherwise, we might as well pack it in, and run out to buy XP.
--
Check the headers for your unsubscription address
For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@xxxxxxxx
Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com
Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@xxxxxxxx
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