Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2001 22:02:47 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "Mike Smith" <msmith@FreeBSD.ORG>, "Doug Hass" <dhass@imagestream.com> Cc: "Leo Bicknell" <bicknell@ufp.org>, "Jim Bryant" <kc5vdj@yahoo.com>, "MurrayTaylor" <taylorm@bytecraft.au.com>, <freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>, <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: RE: FYI Message-ID: <000201c15792$2158e440$1401a8c0@tedm.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <200110171646.f9HGkHs00996@mass.dis.org>
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>-----Original Message----- >From: Mike Smith [mailto:msmith@FreeBSD.ORG] >Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 9:46 AM >To: Doug Hass >Cc: Ted Mittelstaedt; Leo Bicknell; Jim Bryant; MurrayTaylor; >freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG; freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG >Subject: Re: FYI > > >> > Doug, in the entire history of the FreeBSD project, when given a choice >> > between a better driver or code that is closed source, and a worse >> > driver that has open source, the FreeBSD community has never chosen the >> > driver or code with closed source. In fact I can only remember ONCE >> > that the Project has recommended against freely available BSD code - and >> > they did so in favor of GPL code, not closed source code - and this was >> > for the coprocessor emulator (used for 386 and 486SX chips only) >> >> > The only time that FreeBSD gets involved in closed-source code is when >> > there is simply NO other alternative - like in this case where the >> > register interface specs are being withheld. >> >> We certainly support the right for companies to protect their intellectual >> property in whatever way they see fit, even if the FreeBSD community does >> not. > >Doug; I would recommend against falling for Ted's flamebait here, since >that's really all it is. That's silly, what did you find in it that's flamebait? I think you didn't read it. >His characterisation of the FreeBSD Project's >attitude towards proprietary drivers fails to mention many of the other >factors that get weighed into these decisions, and I think he's missing a >lot of history. > No, I am well aware of FreeBSD's history and if you don't believe that the project avoids closed-source code then I don't know what to say, frankly. I clearly remember the ruckus over the Adaptec 2740 drivers and the long statement against Adaptec that used to be in the older versions of FreeBSD, that only had AHA 1740 code in them. If things have changed and the majority of the users in the FreeBSD project welcome closed-source code, then please point out where all of this is? I don't see it. Ted Mittelstaedt tedm@toybox.placo.com Author of: The FreeBSD Corporate Networker's Guide Book website: http://www.freebsd-corp-net-guide.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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