Free/Open Source Software Hardware Requirements?

Bender asks: "Most on Slashdot seem to be concerned with getting Free/Open Source software to be compatible with hardware (firmware, register sets, etc). My question is from the other side of the table: I'm in the hardware business and I'm wondering if there are any central guidelines to better guarantee compatibility with Linux/*BSD. As an example, to guarantee that our hardware runs Microsoft Windows, we have to conform to the Windows Logo Program Requirements. These requirements dictate (among other things) firmware interfaces, debug ports, and DRM. Some of these requirements, if not implemented carefully, could trigger incompatibilities with non-Microsoft operating systems. Is there a Linux/*BSD equivalent to the Microsoft requirements to allow hardware designers to build OS agnostic systems?"

Comments

To make it work with linux...

[Tribbin]

... send a free piece of the hardware to every major kernel-programmer.

Re:Legacy, Ick

[ackthpt]

Blame that on the people who refuse to upgrade to current stuff and bitch at MS when their stuff breaks, forcing MS to support their old, piece of crap hardware.

I fail to see why office or home applications should dictate a particular architecture. Gaming and lab work are probably the only things which may be picky, due to bus speeds. The AMD64 is a nice start, but when can we exepct some of the other housecleaning of PC design? All I've got on my desk at home is very souped up PC-XT. Meanwhile some really good architecture has died along the way as everyone fought to support quite possibly the most exasperating legacy beast, just like everyone else. Moo.