Re: [Trisquel-users] Wireless Mini USB Trisquel

[chris]

It has to do with regulation of the airwaves. Companies can't release  
computers or chips that can be used illegally. The question is what do the  
regulation require. The FCC says free firmware is ok. Other governments may  
not and if that occurs and a chipset manufacturer is targeting that  
particular market it ruins it for everybody.

Your business matters to us because it sustains us. While your purchases  
won't convince Atheros or any other company to release their firmware under a  
free software license our influence can change that. We impact sales of  
devices with Atheros's chipsets. We have to convey a financial importance to  
Atheros. Showing them the numbers will make the difference. When we refuse to  
ship devices with non-free firmware our customers shop elsewhere. They buy  
non-atheros chipsets. For one USB chipset Atheros has lost sales in the  
hundreds of thousands in the past several months. More than enough dough to  
make an argument for funding a developer to work on free software drivers and  
firmware full time.