This thread is to discuss the article titled:
Free and Non-Free, Developers and Users

I just wanted to point out that developers, often want the product to do whatever they need it to do. Stability and user-friendliness is sometimes secondary.

Another thing I’d like to point out is that we are developing completely free/open and easy methods for most of was previously is in the “non-free software arena” (e.g., codecs: wmv9, mp4; drivers: nvidia-3d is in infancy, ntfs write is reliable/stable, open drivers for loads of wireless chipsets, including atheros, conextant, broadcom, intel, and others have either been reversed engineered or petitioned for or both). The primary job of the distro is to implement these in an unobtrusive way. That said, as new patent-encumbered technologies arise, free/reverse-engineered implementations will always be at least a small step behind.

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I wish there was a way to force distributions which include prepackaged non-free modules to pay the owners of that code.

Distros like Xandros and Linspire should have no problem with that since they can pass the cost on to their customers. End users should be able to install them if the owners are willing to grant them free (as in beer).

The "free" distros should concentrate on making it easy for end users to insert them, but they should not be including them in their packages.

You are correct-things are much easier in many ways than what they used to be. A heartfelt thanks to the maintainers and the people who setup the repositories so that most and in many cases all of the dependencies are readily available. However finding or knowing what you need sometimes is not so easy. The ipw2200 driver is a good example of this. There are two pieces to this-a module and firmware. The module is included in the kernel. I've read several posts though where users were frustrated at trying to figure out what was missing and how to get it.

I did not mean to imply the Linux developers are in any way behind with the development of drivers free or non-free. Frankly I think that they do an execellent job of staying up with newly released hardware.

Your last paragraph was and is the whole intent of my post. I think Linux distributions in general would gain many users which in turn would push hardware vendors to open their drivers to the community.

Not always++. Imagine a world where we(\more) are smarter than they, thanks to "freedom" no K1-25 for ALL...

Face it, there will always be both "proprietary" things and "collaboratively developed" things, working side by side. (The mere fact that you have been given all the source-code to something does not mean that the GPL (say ...) copyright license does not apply to it in a legally-enforceable way ... it does. The mere fact that you did not pay currency does not mean that you did not enter into a legally-defined contractual agreement. All of this is now Accepted Precedent.)

I would prefer that, if a particular piece of open-source software (a driver, say) requires another proprietary piece (firmware, a closed-source interface layer, say), then that combination ought not be included in a "distro." It only creates confusion to do that. The owner of the closed piece should provide, and should be willing to maintain, the open piece, because he's the one to benefit from the sales/furnishing of both. ("Take and Give Back.")

I don't like the term, "free and open," because computer software is not "free." In fact, it's probably the most-expensive thing in the world ... so expensive, in fact, that no one could make a business justification for providing enough of it in a "proprietary" fashion. I much prefer the term, collaborative development, because that's the Magic Key that finally unlocked the door that we all needed to have opened. That is what all of us are actually doing here. We introduced a concept of collaboration, and buttressed it with a legally-enforceable license concept that has since been tested and sustained in courtrooms around the world, and thus demonstrated that Everyone could go, together, where No One could (profitably, at least) go alone.

It's probably the best example of that fancy-pants popular buzzword of this day: "Disruptive Change" (that worked).

so free the firmware\hardware and buy that++! [Some close and others all the way!]-This needs a link for every word but i'm lazy right now...

At this stage in the game, iTunes is still an issue, and a big impediment to switching to Linux. Back when this article was written, the issue with iTunes was that music purchased from the iTunes Music Store had DRM. By now, all of the music on iTunes is DRM-free. However, movies and TV shows purchased from the iTunes Store has DRM. It's very possible that someone could have thousands of dollars locked up in iTunes. Unfortunately, there's not much that we can do about that.

This article was published back in 2006. But even after 11 years, the problem of iTunes hasn't really budged; it has just moved from audio to video - though Audible audiobooks on the iTunes Store are still an issue.

If they do do this, they could be violating the copyrights of the providers of such modules ... although I expect that the companies have attorneys who are paid to "mind their P's and Q's." Surely they would have done their "due diligence."

Don't vote for people only policies, [C]NEVER[/C] pay for opinions only facts!

Off topic?

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