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Linux Wireless Driver Violates BSD License?

Posted by kdawson on from the put-it-back dept.

bsdphx writes "After years of encouragement from the OpenBSD community for others to use Reyk Floeter's free Atheros wireless driver, it seems that the Linux world is finally listening. Unfortunately, they seem to think that they can strip the BSD license right out of it."

4 of 355 comments (clear)

  1. Welll by El+Lobo · · Score: 1, Troll
    Perhaps I'm dense or something, but is it me or is the Linuzzz and Open Source field getting more and more legally complicated with every single year? I remember the time when using and programming for Linuzzz was relatively easy, with none or little to care about legally. These days, everywhere you look there are legal flames flying in the sky, GPL version2 vs version3 vs version456 or BDS and the fried chicken.... Maybe it always has been so, but as a developer, I find that sometimes is easier for my nerves to program commercially for Windows than to give out something as OS.

    Before anyone jumps and mods me troll (please feel free to bring down my imaginary karma), I am the developer of one succesfull program that is now open Source under the Mozilla 1.1 license, and yes, you must be carefully when you release something under any OS license. When the program was freeware , but not OS, I used to sleep a lot better than now, when the last 3 monts only I've been battling with the new team about only legal aspects... Oh, well, next piece os OS I release will be on the public domain.

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    It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
    1. Re:Welll by El+Lobo · · Score: 0, Troll

      Nahh... I believe that none here gets modded down by saying M$, so why would I get modded down by saying Linuzzz? Oh wait. this is /.

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      It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
  2. Re:Jury's Still Out by Ash-Fox · · Score: 0, Troll

    There's still a problem as not all the files are dual licensed (eg drivers/net/wireless/ath5k_regdom.c). They can't strip the entire license text from those files which are licensed BSD only and relicense as GPL.
    Did Jiri Slaby write them?
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    Change is certain; progress is not obligatory.
  3. Re:No, it doesn't. by Grax · · Score: 0, Troll

    How come they aren't upset about Microsoft changing the license on the BSD code they use in Windows products?

    You cannot take the BSD files from the Microsoft source code and modify them. Those files are under the Microsoft copyright and you are not even allowed to view them without special permission. The only difference here is that when they are in the Linux tree, you can freely view and modify them.

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    Coding Blog