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 -- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com