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Intel mulls Linux Centrino support (News.com)
Intel
will support Linux on the Centrino processor, but the
company isn't quite ready to release the code.
"Intel has in mind a two-phase approach to providing software that Linux needs to take advantage of the processor maker's Centrino chips, an Intel executive said Wednesday.
The chipmaker likely will begin by releasing a proprietary software module, called a driver, said Will Swope, general manager of Intel's Software and Solutions
Group, speaking in an interview at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo here. He said he hopes the company will later offer an open-source driver, software that the general Linux programming community may scrutinize and reshape if desired."
Also, Intel will produce a WiFi driver for the Centrino. "The driver will be released initially under a proprietary licence, but Intel general manager of software and solutions, Will Swope, did suggest that the driver could later move into the open source domain." (Log in to post comments)
Intel mulls Linux Centrino support (News.com) Posted Jan 23, 2004 20:18 UTC (Fri) by mattdm (subscriber, #18) [Link] Well, we're getting there. Time to ask again nicely for them to make the official stuff open source sooner rather than much much later.
It looks like a trick Posted Jan 23, 2004 20:36 UTC (Fri) by libra (guest, #2515) [Link] It looks like a trick to make us accept non-free software and slowly reduce our awareness, despite we choosed freedom above all, and still want to go in that direction.
It looks like a trick Posted Jan 23, 2004 20:55 UTC (Fri) by elanthis (subscriber, #6227) [Link] or, aside from whacked-out insane conspiracy theories, it's probably just the usual corporate resistence to releasing code.
It looks like a trick Posted Jan 24, 2004 13:37 UTC (Sat) by pointwood (subscriber, #2814) [Link] Yearh, most likely.I don't understand what kind of IP it is that they think is so valuable?
It looks like a trick Posted Jan 25, 2004 23:29 UTC (Sun) by rjw (guest, #10415) [Link] Its the FCC.They are scared of user programmable radios, but they will certify a user programmable radio + binary driver with restrictions. The fear is that an OSS driver would put them out of compliance with the FCC since any linux hacker (which is just a fancy name some terrorists like to use) could mess with the driver and do scary things to the airwaves, like eavesdropping on or replacing air traffic control/ police/ ambulance with their own. Of course, any RF terrorist would be utterly incapable of building or buying a real programmable radio to do his nefarious deeds, and certainly would be incapable of reverse engineering a binary driver. We know those radio terrorists are all a bunch of neophytes, they need the source code in front of them to do anything.... Some might say that vital RF services should use crypto for non repudiability and privacy. But its a whole lot cheaper and more fun to make some more short sighted regulations with zero effect on real threats. Who cares if a few pasty geeks whine about their so called "freedom"? Basically, the next generation of wifi chipsets will have heavy restrictions on programmability in hardware if either the FCC get a clue, or the manufacturers want a piece of the Linux wifi market.
Intel mulls Linux Centrino support (News.com) Posted Jan 23, 2004 21:21 UTC (Fri) by clugstj (subscriber, #4020) [Link] It's just typical marketing-speak. Make vague promises to lure customers. All they would have to do is release the specs and the drivers would appear without them expending any effort. But they won't. Binary drivers suck, big time. I was foolish enough to buy a desktop machine sporting the nForce chip set. I've exorsized the video proprietary driver by buying an ATI card for it. I'm now left with a proprietary ethernet driver. This driver, by default, will freeze my machine for seconds at a time when there is ethernet traffic. I've solved that problem with a driver parameter, but it is anything but reliable. Any time I update my kernel, I've got to rebuild the driver and copy it by hand to the proper location because their "package" will f*** up my /etc/modules.conf if I just install it.
Intel mulls Linux Centrino support (News.com) Posted Jan 24, 2004 8:16 UTC (Sat) by harisri (guest, #4662) [Link] Have you tried the kernel.org's 2.6.latest (for eg, 2.6.2-rc1)? Itincludes a reverse engineered driver for the NForce ethernet card, which may work for you.
Intel mulls Linux Centrino support (News.com) Posted Jan 23, 2004 22:02 UTC (Fri) by davidw (subscriber, #947) [Link] If I can't get one of these... which do look pretty nice... I'll probably get another mac, despite the winmodem that they are now shipped with. Of course, I'll run linux on it.
Intel mulls Linux Centrino support (News.com) Posted Jan 24, 2004 14:17 UTC (Sat) by Duncan (guest, #6647) [Link] YUCK!I KNEW there were additional reasons I am now running a dual AMD Opteron, instead of something Intel. I had ENOUGH of proprietary drivers with NVidia, and switched to ATI using open drivers when I upgraded. I just recompiled my own kernel, and it's /so/ nice to be able to reboot to it and then load X straight away, without having to screw around with the NVidia proprietary stuff. I'm staying FAR, FAR away from the proprietary stuff from now on, and if that includes Centrino drivers, I'm staying as far away from Centrinos as I am MS stuff! No Intel portables for me, I guess! Duncan
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