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Update On OpenBSD Firmware Activism

Posted by Hemos on from the more-then-one-side-to-a-story dept.

putko writes "Here's an update on the OpenBSD firmware activism. Basically, Intel says no. Plenty of contact info, in case you want to write someone an email or a phone call. As Theo writes, 'Without these firmware files included in OpenBSD, users must go do some click-through license at some web site to get at the files. Without those files, these devices are just bits of metal, plastic, and sand.'" While I applaud the notion behind Freer distribution (as in beer) it's also highly probable that Intel doesn't have much ground make them freer - we've seen this before on machines like the HP nw8000; basically, the wireless stuff is owned by someone else, licensed by Intel. That's not to say that the fight isn't worth fighting for freer distribution - it is. But if you want to make your voice heard, remember to be effective advocate.

5 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. What firmware exactly? by Cutriss · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Perhaps it's just me, but I think it would have been useful and rather painless to include the word "Centrino" somewhere in that article so that people who aren't intimately familiar with OpenBSD would know what we were talking about without having to guess (or read 2/3s of the thing before they actually see the word "wireless").

    --
    "Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
  2. Amonkeysayshuh? by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny
    "While I applaud the notion behind Freer distribution (as in speech) it's also highly probable that Intel doesn't have much ground make them freer - we've seen this before on machines like the HP nw8000; basically, the wireless stuff is owned by someone else, licensed by Intel."

    Is that supposed to be a sentence, or has Hemos been playing around with the Monkey / Shakespeare Simulator again?

  3. If the BSD people want... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Intel to speak to them, they are going to need a medium.

  4. Re:Not because it's licensed by someone else... by emmavl · · Score: 5, Informative

    They are NOT asking to open source the driver(s), but to allow free redistribution of the binary firmware.

  5. Effective advocacy by kfg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Some of our most vocal proponents, such as ESR, RMS, and Linus, have somewhat taken on this responsibility, but even they are flamed and criticized.

    Holding our most vocal proponents to be above criticism is an example of exactly the sort of mindless zealotry that epitomizes bad advocacy.

    They should not, of course, be flamed, but critcised with professional politness where they are deserving of it, and everyone is deserving of it at one time or another.

    When Neils Bohr went to Los Alamos during the Manhatten Project he spent a lot of time talking to Feynman, who, at the time, was a pretty minor figure who hadn't even finished his doctorate work yet.

    Why? Because he was the only one there unafraid to forthrightly tell the Great One his ideas were stupid when they were.

    Good leaders like that sort of thing. It makes their own advocay stronger. Only bad leaders hold themselves as above admission of error.

    Yeah, I see the idea that Joe was driving at here, but he needs to go back rework that bit, as it came out very, very wrong, suggesting that we should all show a mindless unity when it comes to our public front

    There's a word for that: zealotry.

    And it's all about free as in speech, isn't it?

    Besides, from what I've seen, Linus, ESR and RMS are well able to stand up for themselves, and rather entertaining while they do it, even if you disagree with them on some point or other.

    KFG