Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (3232 mails)

[Rajko M <rmatov101@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

M. Fioretti wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 20, 2006 09:58:42 AM -0500, Rajko M
> (rmatov101@xxxxxxxxxxx) wrote:
> 
>> Some vendors that already have kernel drivers that are kicked out,
>> refuse to write the same in the user space with excuse that they
>> have no resources for that.
> 
> This is probably a stupid question, but then why didn't they wrote
> those drivers in user space the first time? 

I guess that user space driver model is new. They can write it now, not
before.

> I imagine performance is
> one reason. If I'm right, how much of a difference would it be? And
> are there other reasons?

It will be slower for sure, but how slower that would be, I didn't
researched. User space is offered as a model for companies that can't or
don't want to put their device drivers source code under GPL.

The one that made whole a lot of dust is modem driver. CPU was able to
simulate modem logic long time ago, when it was 10 times slower than
today. You can imagine that performance can not be the reason to refuse
conversion of modem driver.

>> Well if they don't, why they expect that somebody else should find
>> time to rewrite their driver, that will bust their sales
> 
> Cost development time and money yes, but how could offering more
> drivers _hurt_ their sales?

It should be boost, not bust :-)
Thanks for remark.

-- 
Regards,
Rajko.
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