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More on OpenBSD 3.7 Release

Posted by timothy on from the quest-for-firmware dept.

putko writes "As previously reported, OpenBSD 3.7 is released. Here's some interviews with the people behind the release about the new features, including information about which companies are complying with requests for documentation and permission to freely distribute required firmware, and which are not. Ralink Tech and Realtek 'GOOD,'Intel 'BAD.' The next time I build/buy a wireless product, I'll want Realtek or Ralink Tech inside -- because getting software to work with it will be easier. Ralink Tech and Realtek are Taiwanese, by the way."

3 of 149 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Free 802.11g drivers? by Cid+Highwind · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yes, Ralink provides Free (as in GPL) Linux drivers for their rt2400/rt2500 cards here. My roommate has a laptop with an rt2500 wifi card, and it works beautifully in Linux.

    --
    0 1 - just my two bits
  2. Re:We tried this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
    I had lost count of the number of complaints received from users who could not find things they were used to (notepad even!??)
    Yeah, this is the major shortcoming of BSD and Linux, there is no suitable replacement that has the power and versatility of Notepad.
  3. Re:Firmwares and drivers by Tony-A · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Except that there are some of us who do not use OpenBSD but consider it as probably the best indicator of hardware quality and the quality of what the support will be for Linux and even Windows. Even to the point of using OpenBSD support as a litmus test for Windows hardware.

    Put it this way. If the hardware gives OpenBSD troubles, how much do you want to risk that the troubles affect ONLY OpenBSD? Conversely, if OpenBSD has no troubles supporting the hardware, any troubles elsewhere are at least fixable. OpenBSD may be a small niche, but it is a niche that carries a lot more weight than its numbers would suggest.