Re: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario

Geert Uytterhoeven
2005-12-08T12:21:43Z

On Wed, 7 Dec 2005, Michele wrote:
> On 12/7/05, Geert Uytterhoeven <geert@linux-m68k.org> wrote:
> > On Tue, 6 Dec 2005, Denis Vlasenko wrote:
> > > On Tuesday 06 December 2005 03:18, Andrea Arcangeli wrote:
> > > > On Mon, Dec 05, 2005 at 04:18:51AM -0800, William Lee Irwin III wrote:
> > > > > The December 6 event is extraordinarily unlikely. What's vastly more
> > > > > likely is consistent "erosion" over time. First the 3D video
> > drivers,
> > > > > then the wireless network drivers, then the fakeraid drivers, and so
> > on.
> > > >
> > > > I agree about the erosion.
> > > >
> > > > I am convinced that the only way to stop the erosion is to totally
> > stop
> > > > buying hardware that has only binary only drivers (unless you buy it
> > to
> > > > create an open source driver or to reverse engineer the binary only
> > > > driver of course! ;).
> > >
> > > I'm afraid there is not enough Linux users in desktop/laptop market
> > > for vendors to notice.
> > >
> > > How about refusing binary-only modules instead? I mean, maybe
> >
> > You mean, call panic() if module license not acceptable? Nice!
>
> This can only be defined a GPL-integralist approach. You are ignoring closed
> SDK used by almost every one who uses linux on embedded platforms...from
> Linksys routers and access points to media stations to STB with hardware a/v
> decoders. You cant really think linux could influence nearly the whole IT
> market, especially if they make money selling closed source SDK.

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Gr{oetje,eeting}s,

Geert

--
Geert Uytterhoeven -- There's lots of Linux beyond ia32 -- geert@linux-m68k.org

In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But
when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that.
-- Linus Torvalds