Really free Atheros driver for Linux

Posted Nov 16, 2006 15:51 UTC (Thu) by pizza (subscriber, #46)
In reply to: Really free Atheros driver for Linux by drag
Parent article: SFLC: OpenBSD Atheros driver is clean

> Whatever. I am now willing to beleive that the excuse for FCC compliance is around 70% bullshit.

I've been saying this all along, and it's only been reinforced with my dealings with wireless chipset companies [1]. They're far more worried about their "Intellectual Property" being exposed (or rather, worried that someone else will claim they mis-appropriated IP, and get sued..)

The MadWiFi HAL does far, far more than restrict RF-level operation; if that's all it did it would be downright tiny. And as others have said, you can always lie about the country information and generally wreak havoc with your 15mW transmitter.

[1] My day job is writing 802.11 drivers.