From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jeff Garzik Subject: Re: wireless (was Re: 2.6.18 -mm merge plans) Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 08:33:04 -0400 Message-ID: <20060605123304.GA6066@havoc.gtf.org> References: <20060604135011.decdc7c9.akpm@osdl.org> <20060605010636.GB17361@havoc.gtf.org> <20060605085451.GA26766@infradead.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Return-path: Received: from havoc.gtf.org ([69.61.125.42]:23973 "EHLO havoc.gtf.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751048AbWFEMiO (ORCPT ); Mon, 5 Jun 2006 08:38:14 -0400 To: Christoph Hellwig , Andrew Morton , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, netdev@vger.kernel.org, linville@tuxdriver.com Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20060605085451.GA26766@infradead.org> Sender: netdev-owner@vger.kernel.org List-Id: netdev.vger.kernel.org On Mon, Jun 05, 2006 at 09:54:51AM +0100, Christoph Hellwig wrote: > On Sun, Jun 04, 2006 at 09:06:36PM -0400, Jeff Garzik wrote: > > On Sun, Jun 04, 2006 at 01:50:11PM -0700, Andrew Morton wrote: > > > acx1xx-wireless-driver.patch > > > fix-tiacx-on-alpha.patch > > > tiacx-fix-attribute-packed-warnings.patch > > > tiacx-pci-build-fix.patch > > > tiacx-ia64-fix.patch > > > > > > It is about time we did something with this large and presumably useful > > > wireless driver. > > > > I've never had technical objections to merging this, just AFAIK it had a > > highly questionable origin, namely being reverse-engineered in a > > non-clean-room environment that might leave Linux legally vulnerable. > > As are at leasdt a fourth of linux drivers. Andrew, please just go ahead Hardly. The -vast majority- of drivers I've dealt with in my time hacking the kernel are either blessed by the vendor, or are of unquestionably legal origin. It's a good thing I pay attention to this issue, too, Mr. Just Go Ahead And Merge It. > Please don't let this reverse engineering idiocy hinder wireless driver > adoption, we're already falling far behind openbsd who are very successfull > reverse engineering lots of wireless chipsets. Thanks for your highly professional, legal opinion :) Jeff