Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] PWC driver story continues.

[Johnny Strom <jonny strom netikka fi>]

Wouter Van Hemel wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Sep 2004, Johnny Strom wrote:
>
> > Hi
> >
> >
> > Well this i becouse how FreeBSD is licensed, I prefer gpl/lgpl kind of
> > license becouse then one knows that the software will be around in the 
> > future.

Well the reson for GPL was and still is that improvments to a program
have to be open source (RMS will call it free software) as well, and 
never be closed again. If the world was an utopia then the BSD would 
work just fine. I think in some cases so are BSD ok it depends a bit
on what one want's to accomplish with the software.

Anyway it seems that pwcx is almost completely reverse engineerd now:
http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0409.1/2448.html

Have someone tested this already?

> Or, in the case of many drivers, no software at all.
>
> The way I see it, the GPL is an utopia. It's definitely worth fighting 
> for, but in the mean while, I would like to use my webcam. Life goes on, 
> I'm not going to hold my breath for all companies to open up all of 
> their drivers and specifics before I fulfill the main goal of using my 
> webcam to talk to people.
>
> Sometimes, the goal is to improve the world, and do things the hard way, 
> sticking to what you believe in. Using my webcam is not one of those 
> things; you can't fight all battles. It's software; not a religion. I 
> don't like religion.
>
> The GPL is extremist, because it allows no middle way or respects no 
> other license.

Well I think it is good that GPL is clear about what is allowed or not 
we need that in the future.

 And while that is good for some things, I believe it's
> also very unproductive and unflexible for others, such as allowing 
> companies to slowly open up more of their drivers. Nobody wants to hear 
> "the code or fuck off". That attitude makes the GPL even more just an 
> utopia.

Well I think it is like this companies will be more willing to open up 
drivers when there is more demand for Linux and in some areas so are 
comapines alreay doing that especially regarding server related hardware.


> And I don't need to tell you that we (as in the Linux users) *need* 
> drivers; without pwc, for example, the support for 'available' webcams 
> in Linux would be practically nill.

Yes unfortunatly and that is becouse to what I wrote above.

> Nothing is _always_ the answer. Unless you are a good mathematician. :)
>
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