Moving from Binary Drivers to Open Source?

GerryGilmore asks: "We are a division, specializing in telecommunications equipment, of a very large hardware manufacturer. Our equipment, DSP and PSTN boards, has been supported under Linux through a set of binary driver modules and binary libraries implementing our API set. We are in the process of migrating to a completely open source-based software infrastructure to be more in sync with the rest of the Linux industry. However, not having any real experience with moving from proprietary to an open source model, we wanted to see if the Slashdot crowd has any similar experiences to share: The Good; The Bad; The Ugly; and how best to avoid the most common pitfalls."

Comments

Avoid closed source coding conventions

[JamesP]

The worse thing i've seen in a (Windows) driver.

for (i=0;i10;i++) {
switch(i) {
case 1: // stage 1 // stuff here
case 2: // stage 2 // stuff here
case 3: // stage 3
}
} // lameness filter mary had a little lab, blah, bla, 1 3 5 7 11 13 17 19 23 29 31

Re:going.. through... withdrawals... *twitch*

[Saeed al-Sahaf]

Exactly. How are we going to Slashdot the site without a link? The story author, GerryGilmore, should be SHOT for submitting a story without a link!

Code

[rbreve]

be sure you dont have any SCO code in there ;)

Re:Know your code

[Savage-Rabbit]

...lots of closed source contains rather dodgy comments that you might not want to be public.

Hehe.. very true. My favorite one:
"Sane people do things like this?"

Re:Know your code

[bebing]

Or things like...

//WARNING! We do not know what the following code does!
//But do NOT remove that extra semi-colon whatever you do

or...

//TODO: Change from inefficient inept implementation to sane one

Re:Know your code

[bullestock]

If you have a source code control system...

What do you mean, "if"?

Re:Know your code

[Frank T. Lofaro Jr.]

The Linux kernel (and much other open source code) has some "interesting" comments as well.

Re:Know your code

[jesser]

Some examples from Netscape 4:

/* Get the OVERFLOW attribute. (Fuck yuo, W3C. Fuck you.) */

/* Words cannot express how much HPUX SUCKS!

** This whole hacky pile of poop was done by Michael Toy.

Re:Know your code

[bluGill]

You missed the implied rest:

else
shoot everyone who worked on the code without installing source control

Sadly many companies do not use source control. CVS is free, and as been around for years not. (Not to mention all the newer systems that fix some of CVS's flaws) Doesn't mean anyone uses them.