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Announcing WiFiBSD
flynn_nrg writes "WifiBSD is a minimalistic version of FreeBSD based on the 5.x branch. WifiBSD is aimed for wireless routers running on embedded devices such as boards from soekris.com. In addition to the wi driver WifiBSD includes support for Atheros's 802.11b/g and 802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN Chipsets. The latest version of WifiBSD can be found here."
Granted, you can take the source code, modify it heavily for your purpose (embedded routers in this case), and it might bear little resemblance to the parent OS. But is it still BSD or Linux then? How far can you alter it before it becomes a radical offshoot, and in truth, a different OS?
A different os? Probly not, maybe a new sub distro, but they are still most likely using a kernel that greatly resemebles (linux) or in this case BSD. They might have cut out, recompiled, or replaced some userland binarys (for size concerns) but its still not that much different. An rc script here or there, its still based strongly off its parent.
If this works great, than WiFi vendors don't owe the community a cent.
BSD worked great for Apple. And guess what? They're giving back to the community! I just guess it goes to show that the public won't act like thieves when you don't treat them like thieves.
A Government Is a Body of People, Usually Notably Ungoverned
If this works great, than WiFi vendors don't owe the community a cent.
BSD vs. GPL issues aside, what does WiFiBSD have to do with WiFi vendors? I don't think anyone has hinted that vendors are necessarily going to start using WiFiBSD in their products, so what gives? Besides, the functions of most commercial WiFi products can be duplicated and done much better with free software, so who says vendors of these embedded products would even have anything worthwhile that we would want given back to the community?
-- Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with a baseball bat.