I see the problem from the vendor's view: With ever cheaper hardware (just look at these GDI printers), more and more know-how goes into the software (drivers). To keep competitors out, you don't want to give away your software to the public. (Also you think it's quite unlikely that someone out there will improve your software once you would make it GPL).
I saw some companies making a hybrid approach: A GPL driver uploads some "hexdump- like" firmware to the cards. I don't know if this applies to you (AVM). Another approach might be that you offer downloadable ISO images for "driver update media (CD/DVD) which Novell/SuSE can integrate during installation (there are some docs around at Novell's site). For Novell I see the advantage to ensure their products do not include any hidden patented algorithms for their customer protection (talking about evil lawyers). Just like AVM is unhappy for the ISDN/GPL thing, I'm unhappy with the patent-free media player mess: If I buy refill ink for my printer, I cannot view the instruction video CD, because it uses a patent-protected (subject to licensing) video codec. The commom way to avoid this might be the GPL. However, you can hardly convince any Windows user not to use patented algorithms. For PGP even now the IDEA algorithm used prevents use of GPG instead. While I understand, I'm unhappy. Regards, Ulrich On 14 Feb 2006 at 14:10, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > SUSE/Novell has announced that non-GPL kernel modules will no longer be > part of future Novell products. > Since SUSE Linux 6.3, AVM has been providing pre-compiled drivers for SUSE > Linux. Since the release of SUSE 8.1 in September 2002, AVM drivers have > been integrated into SUSE Linux distributions. Each time a new SUSE Linux > Version beta cycle starts, AVM provides the latest drivers and Karsten Keil > does an excellent job integrating those drivers. Therefore, a new SUSE > Linux release goes hand in hand with the latest AVM driver development. At > present, nearly the entire AVM product portfolio comes up with SUSE > pre-compiled modules for ISDN and DSL devices and as such is part of the > SUSE distribution: > > AVM ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card Classic > AVM ISDN-Controller A1 > AVM ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card PnP > AVM ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card PCI / PCI v2.x > AVM ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card PCMCIA > AVM ISDN-Controller A1 PCMCIA > AVM ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card USB > AVM ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card USB v2.x > AVM DSL/ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card DSL > AVM DSL/ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card DSL v2.0 > AVM DSL/ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card DSL USB > AVM DSL/ISDN-Controller FRITZ!Card DSL USB v2.0 > AVM DSL-Controller FRITZ!Card DSL USB analog > AVM DSL-Controller FRITZ!Card DSL SL > AVM DSL-Controller FRITZ!Card DSL SL USB > AVM ISDN-Controller B1 v1.4/v2.0/v3.0 (ISA) > AVM ISDN-Controller B1 PCI / B1 PCI v4.0 > AVM ISDN-Controller B1 PCMCIA > AVM ISDN-Controller C2 > AVM ISDN-Controller C4 > AVM ISDN-Controller T1 > AVM ISDN-Controller T1-B > AVM FRITZ!X USB/ v2.0/ v3.0 > AVM FRITZ!X ISDN > AVM FRITZ!Box > (AVM WLAN-Controller FRITZ!WLAN USB Stick) > > consequences > In the past, the customer bought a fully functional distribution with the > release of the brand new SUSE Linux. He could use ISDN fax G3, analog modem > emulations or simply surf the internet via DSL/ISDN right away out of the > box. For most users, that is the most important point in the distribution > decision process. "Easy to use and right away surf the internet", that is > the feedback we receive from our customers, when they visit AVM at fairs. > The market share SUSE gained over past years is also based on SUSE's > user-friendly policy of AVM driver integration. For six years now this > strategic partnership with SUSE/Novell payed off for all parties. With > Novell's decision to have non-GPL drivers no longer integrated, AVMs > drivers will not be included on the distribution media anymore. The > customer then needs to have an internet connection to download AVM's > drivers or other packages. But without drivers the customer cannot download > anything from the internet. > > conclusion > This process will lead to our no longer being able to provide driver > packages to the end user with a new SUSE/Novell box release. Our driver > build and QS process will be subsequent to the box release instead of > parallel to the beta cycle. The process is extended. Moreover, if the > Novell decision is implemented as stated, the unique selling proposition of > the SUSE Linux Distribution is diminished. And ultimately this decision > will generate more support for both of us. > > > This mail is not intended to provoke a discussion of open vs. closed > source. > The only intention of this mail is to make you aware of the consequences of > such a decision. > > Kind regards > Sven Schmidt > > AVM Audiovisuelles Marketing und Computersysteme GmbH > Alt-Moabit 95, D-10559 Berlin > http://www.avm.de > > > > > Andreas Jaeger > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > An > 09.02.2006 17:14 [email protected] > Kopie > > Thema > [opensuse-announce] SUSE Linux > 10.1 Update > > > > > > > > > > > > I'd like to give you an update on our beta process with the following > list of topics: > > * Deliverable of Beta4 and further schedule > * non-GPL kernel modules > * Kernel Changes km_ packages > * Major bug in Beta3: Fontconfig > * Package manager major changes > * XGL > > Deliverable of Beta4 and Further Schedule > ========================================= > > Beta4 did not pass our internal tests, we have to delay it by one > week. > > The FACTORY distribution has been updated with our current packages > that everybody can use, but doing a complete installation from the > current FACTORY tree is NOT recommended. You should just update > single packages as needed. > > We have decided to release Beta 4 on 2006-02-16 and Beta 5 on > 2006-02-23. We'll finalize the schedule after testing and evaluating > these two betas. > > non-GPL kernel modules: > ======================= > > Most developers of the kernel community consider non-GPL kernel > modules to be infringing on their copyright. Novell does respect this > position, and will no longer distribute non-GPL kernel modules as part of > future products. Novell is working with vendors to find alternative > ways to provide the functionality that was previously only available > with non-GPL kernel modules. > > > Kernel Changes / km_, kmp, and kernel-flavor-nongpl packages: > ============================================================= > > We added support to cleanly handle packages that contain kernel > modules by representing the dependencies of mouldes on the kernel ABI > as rpm dependencies. This allows third party modules to be provided > and integrated cleanly. > > Modules that were previously included in our kernel packages using the > km_ package mechanism [1] have been converted to the new package > format [2]; the km_ mechanism is no longer supported. Packages that > contain additional kernel modules are now named name-kmp-kernelflavor > (e.g., wlan-kmp-default. lirc-kmp-smp). > > The kmp mechanism [2] supports creating and using additional Kernel Module > Packages easily and reliably. > > The kernel-kernelflavor-nongpl packages which contained modules that > had non-GPL licenses have been removed. > > [1] The km_ package mechanism is described at > http://www.suse.de/~agruen/kernel-doc/. > > [2] Kernel Module Packages Manual for CODE10, > http://www.suse.de/~agruen/KMPM/ > > Major Bug in Beta3: Fontconfig > ============================== > > It might be that X11 apps just crash or are really slow (installation > of some packages took rather long), which was due to a bug in > fontconfig. A first fix is in fontconfig packages in the Beta3 > fixed-rpm directory on ftp.opensuse.org . > > Beta4 will fix most known bugs. Current packages are available at: > ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/projects/m17n/10.1 - > > If you use them, update to both fontconfig and fonts-config. The > packages in there are newer than what is currently in the FACTORY > tree. If you find bugs in the m17n packages, please report them in > bugzilla stating the exact version you're using. > > > Package Manager Major Changes > ============================= > > We're replacing our package manager resolver library with a new version > called "libzypp". > > libzypp is the integration of SUSE's yast2 Package manager and > Ximian's libredcarpet. At Novell we used two solutions so far - Red > Carpet and YaST package manager - and decided to merge both in a best > of breed approach. > > The advantages for SUSE Linux are: > * A better resolver than before > * More information about why a package is installed or no solution is > found > * A better integration of all those feature that were added over the > years to our package manager. > * A command line interface ("rug") > * A common handling of packages *and* patches > * Dependency handling for update packages > * A better way to handle selections (we call them now "patterns") > * Remote management (not yet in SUSE Linux 10.1) > * Additional repositories during installation (no GUI in SUSE Linux 10.1) > * More flexibility in handling of different repositories, e.g. it is > possible to have additional patterns for each repository. > > The new library handles yum metadata, YaST sources (both also remote > via ftp, http, nfs and smb) and additionally Zenworks, Opencarpet and > RCE (Red Carpet Enterprise) servers as installation sources. The > alternatives smart and apt-get will also work as they did on SUSE > Linux 10.0. > > Together with libzypp, we get the zmd daemon, the rug command line > interface, the zen-updater, zen-remover, zen-installer packages. > > In addition to the existing packages, we're adding these new packages: > * zmd: system daemon used by rug, zen-* > * rug: Command line client > * web-updater: Updater with more features than zen-updater > * zen-updater: Simple updater > * zen-remover: Tool to remove packages > * zen-installer: Tool to add packages > > We're still working on the integration of "libzypp" into our tree, the > package manager in our FACTORY tree is not yet fully functional. > > XGL > === > > Xgl is an Xserver that uses OpenGL for its drawing operations. Xgl > engineer David Reveman has posted enhancements to Xgl and a new > compositor, 'Compiz' with a request that it be added to the > freedesktop.org CVS repository. Some operations like antialiased font > rendering is noticeably faster with this technology, and future > graphics hardware might only have support for 3D operations and no 2D > core any more. > > These additional packages have now been added to the SUSE Linux > FACTORY tree. Note that compiz has a couple of build problems that > need to be fixed before it will go out. > > For details on XGL, please check http://www.opensuse.org/Xgl . > > Andreas > -- > Andreas Jaeger, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.suse.de/~aj/ > SUSE LINUX Products GmbH, Maxfeldstr. 5, 90409 Nürnberg, Germany > GPG fingerprint = 93A3 365E CE47 B889 DF7F FED1 389A 563C C272 A126 > [Anhang "att3brm9.dat" gelöscht von Sven Schmidt/AVM] > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
