Message-ID: <41DDB02C.1030205@cwazy.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2005 16:39:56 -0500
From: Jim Nelson <james4765@cwazy.co.uk>
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To: Lee Revell <rlrevell@joe-job.com>
CC: Norbert van Nobelen <Norbert@edusupport.nl>,
       Raphael Jacquot <raphael.jacquot@imag.fr>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Open hardware wireless cards
References: <20050105200526.GL5159@ruslug.rutgers.edu>	 <20050106172438.GT5159@ruslug.rutgers.edu> <41DD8D71.7000708@imag.fr>	 <200501062032.13513.Norbert@edusupport.nl> <1105045205.15823.4.camel@krustophenia.net>
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Lee Revell wrote:
> On Thu, 2005-01-06 at 20:32 +0100, Norbert van Nobelen wrote:
> 
>>100mWatt antenna (-: Gives 4 mile range (-:
>>Make it USB powered (-: (so that the pcmcia card does not overheat!!)
> 
> 
> Ah, this reminds me, isn't there some kind of issue with open source
> wireless and FCC (or whatever your local equivalent is) regulations?  Or
> was that just an excuse the vendors used for their closed source
> drivers?
> 
> Lee
> 

A little of both, methinks.  Most vendors build their hardware to the most 
powerful that any law (or engineering limits) will allow.  They then use 
country-specific drivers to keep tha hardware operating within legal limits.

Open-source drivers would make it trivial to make the hardware operate beyond its 
legal limits - and could potentially land them in trouble with the FCC/whatever. 
IANAL, but I'm pretty sure that there hasn't been a case of open-source wireless 
drivers tweaked beyond the legal limits landing someone with a fine.
-
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