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

In answer to your sig...

[thrashbluegrass]

1) fdisk
2) format
3) full installation

Now that I think about it, that's how you fix any software problems on a windows box.

Re:Thigs to do

[entrigant]

While doing that clean up any bad language in the comments and code.

*cough*

gr1m linux # grep -ri fuck *
Documentation/DocBook/kernel-locking.sgml: If you don't see why, please stay the fuck away from my code.
arch/mips/pci/pci-ip27.c: * IOC3 is fucked fucked beyond believe ... Don't even give the
arch/mips/kernel/irixioctl.c: * irixioctl.c: A fucking mess...
arch/mips/kernel/irixelf.c:#if 0 /* XXX No fucking way dude... */
arch/sparc/kernel/ptrace.c:/* Fuck me gently with a chainsaw... */
arch/sparc/kernel/head.S: /* XXX Fucking Cypress... */
arch/sparc64/kernel/traps.c: /* Why the fuck did they have to change this? */
drivers/ide/pci/cmd640.c: * These chips are basically fucked by design, and getting this driver
drivers/net/sunhme.c:/* Only Sun can take such nice parts and fuck up the programming interface
include/linux/netfilter_ipv4/ipt_limit. h: /* Ugly, ugly fucker. */
lib/vsprintf.c: * Wirzenius wrote this portably, Torvalds fucked it up :-)

etc. etc. etc.

Go away language police... they are just words.