Re: [gNewSense-users] pre-compiled linux-libre 2.6.27-rc5 packages for atheros wireless support

[Ali Gunduz]

On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 3:43 AM, J.B. Nicholson-Owens
<address@hidden> wrote:
> I'd like to understand more about the process by which the free software
> Atheros drivers will make it into the Linux kernel.  Is it a matter of time
> until the free software Atheros drivers are reviewed, re-edited as needed to
> meet current Linux coding conventions and interfaces, then make it into the
> Linux kernel?  Then from there these drivers are bound to be inherited by
> all Linux kernel distributors?

The inclusion of Atheros drivers is not much related to linux-libre.
The Linux-libre project simply purges the official Linux releases of
non-free modules. (You can find the deblob script used for this job in
linux-libre's repository.)

The reason why gNewSense (along with Ubuntu) does not have Atheros
support for now is that Atheros drivers were released a short time
ago. How shortly they were released affects how early they are
included in the official Linux releases. This is why ath5k was
included in Linux 2.6.25 and ath9k, which was released just over a
month ago, was included in 2.6.27-rc5. So, by the time, gNewSense
(which, i guess, will follow Ubuntu in choice of kernel version) gets
to these kernel versions, on which deblob process won't remove free
Atheros drivers, users will be able to run supported wireless devices
out-of-box. The package I released is just meant to be a temporary
solution until then.

> Just to be understood clearly: I'm in no way trying to make your work seem
> insignificant.

As long as you ask intelligent questions or make plausible claims, I
don't really care about what you think about my work.

Ali