I think this was something that was already happening. Firms which make their hardware architecture open, enjoyed free linux drivers. The only thing they have to do is make the architecture of those chips open.
I had a motorola sm56 internal modem which is useless in linux bcoz of the closed architecture of the chip used in it. If it was open I could have easily got a driver or even write one. Fabin Sabir wrote: > Hi, > > In a message posted to the Linux kernel mailing list , kernel > contributor Greg Koah-Hartman announced that kernel developers > will be providing free Linux driver development services for > companies. This service will help the Linux community create > stronger relationships with hardware vendors while reducing the > barriers that presently impede ubiquitous Linux hardware support. > > /An excerpt / from the announcement: / > > "[T]he Linux kernel community is offering all companies free Linux > driver development... All that is needed is some kind of specification > that describes how your device works, or the email address of an > engineer that is willing to answer questions every once in a while. If > your company is worried about NDA issues surrounding your device's > specifications, we have arranged a program... in order to properly > assure that all needed NDA requirements are fulfilled. Now your > developers will have more time to work on drivers for all of the other > operating systems out there, and you can add 'supported on Linux' to > your product's marketing material." > / > Refer an epic announcement by Linux Kernel hacker / Greg > Kroah-Hartman, author of "Linux in a Nutshell " on his blog. > URL is /http://www.kroah.com/log/2007/01/29/#free_drivers > > /This announcement seems to have stirred up some interest as well as > some questions . Greg kroah has answered in his blog with some of the > questions he received from readers . URL is given bellow,/ > http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/free_drivers_faq.html > > With Regards > Muhammed sabir > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >Mailinglist mailing list >Mailinglist at ilug-cochin.org >http://ilug-cochin.org/mailman/listinfo/mailinglist_ilug-cochin.org > >
