Linux loses the Phillipswebcam driver

Linux loses the Phillipswebcam driver

Wow. I'm no friend of proprietaryware and certainly back the kernel folks
on their stand. However, I can easily see someone else picking up the
pieces (since it /is/ gpled), and it becoming yet another sourceforge
project, possibly under a different name, so those that wish (and some of
the various distributions) can continue to use it.

Even if not, I can see it easily being maintained in the various
distribution trees, with one or another likely becoming the authoritative
source for it.

As I said, I certainly back the kernel folks on this. Letting
proprietaryware drivers attach themselves from their third party positions
if they so desire is one thing, but putting a specific hook in the kernel
for that specific purpose is quite another. Remove it, and good riddance!
As well, there's the author's position in regard to the kernel which I'd
respect. However, some third party can continue to offer it, and/or the
distribs can pick it up, as desired, and I'd have no sympathy with the
current author attempting to get them to cease distribution. It's
unsettled whether he would, but he'd have little legal room to do so, even
if he tried, given the license, which is as it should be, and part of the
whole reason behind the GPL!

Duncan