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Subject: RE: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 16:06:44 -0500
Message-ID: <547AF3BD0F3F0B4CBDC379BAC7E4189F01EE9BB3@otce2k03.adaptec.com>
Thread-Topic: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario
Thread-Index: AcX7ay/wFUpUcrEPR3iIvdyEqkS8vwAAP3bw
From: "Salyzyn, Mark" <mark_salyzyn@adaptec.com>
To: "Andrea Arcangeli" <andrea@cpushare.com>,
       "Arjan van de Ven" <arjan@infradead.org>
Cc: "Randy.Dunlap" <rdunlap@xenotime.net>, "Rik van Riel" <riel@redhat.com>,
       "William Lee Irwin III" <wli@holomorphy.com>,
       <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org
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Andrea Arcangeli writes:
> Furthermroe I would suggest to use the kernel.org website, to leave it
neutral.

Don't you mean 'leaving it political', kernel.org is hardly neutral.
Neutrality is usually handled by a single trusted entity such as a Judge
;-/ and not by a committee or a democracy.

This issue is hardly black-and-white. The Hardware Vendors are hardly
monolithic. Markets are not always just horizontal, or just vertical.

For instance, there are reasons, somewhat outside the control of the
Hardware Vendor, for binary drivers. Often, in the hopes of achieving
standards compliance, Hardware vendors are cornered by legalities over
the copyright associated with those standards that ties their hands
either from releasing interface documentation or from releasing source
code. Yet all these vendors would be overjoyed to have Linux drivers for
their Hardware in order to increase the sales of their products.

The users are overjoyed when they have a wide variety of useful hardware
products to select. The market is overjoyed when there is competition.

Linux gains popularity when the users are placated, increasing the
interest in funding projects, engineers and organizations associated
with Linux. Call this trickle down economics if you want.

Locking out the Hardware is counterproductive for all to varying degrees
(I agree that locking out the details is also counterproductive, do not
misconstrue my argument). The current state of affairs where binary-only
drivers are grudgingly handled and politically sensitive offers the
balance that urges these Hardware Vendors to pursue open source variants
or to move initial binary-only offerings eventually in the future
towards an open-source solution when conditions change to permit it.
Thus without hurting the OS, the users or the Hardware vendors; with the
timely delivery of advanced hardware. Without an open door, that piece
of hardware, or the market window, will pass Linux by. Despise the
results, by all means. Plan to protect copyrights that binaries may
violate, that is a noble duty. Remain forever vigilant against
encroachment. But please stop planning a revolt, locking the door,
constructing conspiracy theories or creating scenarios of utter
destruction and mayhem.

Sleep with the enemy when you have mutual gain (keep a loaded gun under
the pillow to keep him honest ;-> ).

Sincerely -- Mark Salyzyn
	Death of the net predicted, news at 11
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