Return-path: Received: from ganesha.gnumonks.org ([213.95.27.120]:33666 "EHLO ganesha.gnumonks.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752382AbZFKQkP (ORCPT ); Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:40:15 -0400 Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:30:29 +0800 From: Harald Welte To: Forest Bond Cc: "Luis R. Rodriguez" , "John W. Linville" , linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org, Dan Williams Subject: Re: VT6656 driver source now GPL Message-ID: <20090611163029.GF21446@prithivi.gnumonks.org> References: <20090319164256.GA25237@storm.local.network> <43e72e890903190945m4d8920f5y69f5847b688b0aa1@mail.gmail.com> <20090320131014.GG25237@storm.local.network> <20090414000835.GA31504@storm.local.network> <20090611132954.GA20845@prithivi.gnumonks.org> <20090611135041.GE26234@alittletooquiet.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii In-Reply-To: <20090611135041.GE26234@alittletooquiet.net> Sender: linux-wireless-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: On Thu, Jun 11, 2009 at 09:50:42AM -0400, Forest Bond wrote: > You mention the idea of working on a new driver. Do you see any value in > merging the vendor drivers and cleaning up from there? I don't really know. It makes sense to have some repository somewhere public, where the community can put in fixes and support for new kernel versions as they come out. Whether or not that should be part of staging, I can't really comment on it, as I have not been involved with that tree. Also, my opinion doesn't matter. Greg takes everything that is GPL licensed, builds and somebody sends to him :) As for actually cleaning up the driver: I suppose you have seen it. Not only does it contain its own 802.11 stack, firmware-as-hex-arrays but also its own OS abstraction layer - similar to many other drivers like some of the early 8686 code that marvell released before the new libertas driver was started. > BTW, these drivers could certainly use more expert attention than what I can > offer. I'd be interested in working with you to get the vendor drivers in > shape, if you think it is worthwhile. I take it no one at VIA is able to look > at the staging drivers in -next? No, nobody at VIA's wireless R&D will be able to look at it. Starting from scratch with a real 'native' linux driver, using the correct coding style and whatever useful bits from the in-mainline 80211 code is probably considerably less work than trying to 'clean them up'. At least we do have some known-working FOSS code that can be used as a reference and for debugging. And if there is some kind of odd behaviour or a specific question, I can try to hunt down somebody internally who might have an answer. That's more than many other linux mainline/community wifi drivers had ;) Regards. -- - Harald Welte http://linux.via.com.tw/ ============================================================================ VIA Free and Open Source Software Liaison