GM & MS

[Joe Smith]

Wolfgang S. Rupprecht wrote:
> I'm poking fun at the manufacturers that claim they can't allow
> open-source drivers for their wifi radios.

Err... I actually thought you were talking about something else :-\
but it doesn't make much difference. I guess I'm in with the little band 
of luddites who don't care about wifi.

> BTW: I don't recall seeing a law that says it is illegal to write
> open-source drivers.

It's not illegal to write the drivers (I'm talking USA here), it's 
illegal to sell an RF transmitter for which open source drivers can be 
written; i.e., that can be easily modified by the user to operate 
outside the specs the device was licensed with.

I happened to see a news item today with a summary of the issues and 
some ideas being discussed for moving ahead:

Linux hackers tackle WiFi hassles
http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS9956020927.html

<Joe