[gNewSense-users] Re: wireless config

[Eus]

Hi Ho!

--- On Wed, 12/10/08, Quiliro Ordóñez <address@hidden> wrote:

> On this page I found several files:
> http://www.ralinktech.com/ralink/Home/Support/Linux.html
> 
> This link has no license:
> http://www.ralinktech.com.tw/data/drivers/2008_0723_RT61_Linux_STA_v1.1.2.2.tar.bz2
> and the firmware has only some freedoms:
> http://www.ralinktech.com.tw/data/RT61_Firmware_V1.2.zip

Yes, it is non-free. Let me quote from the license:

Redistribution and use in binary form, without 

modification, are permitted...
...
* No reverse engineering, decompilation, or disassembly of this software 

  is permitted.

> Found this GPLd source. Will it work for me?
> http://www.ralinktech.com.tw/data/RT2500-Linux-STA-1.4.6.6.tar.gz

No, it won't.

> Found this too:
> http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-install-and-configure-dlink-dwl-g-520-wireless-lan-pci-card.html

Yes, it shows how to build the driver from the source code.

Oh, BTW, you have to understand that there are two parts that you will need to 
run the device:
1. The driver (this one is free software)
2. The firmware (this one is not)

The case of this particular chipset of RaLink is the same as the case of Intel 
Wireless NIC because Intel also requires that the free driver to load the 
non-free firmware in order to run the device.

We in the gNewSense community have been taking time to remove all of the 
non-free firmwares from the Linux kernel. That's why I said that you might not 
be able to run the device if you used it directly under gNewSense since the 
needed firmware might have long gone. This is a point that you have to check 
anyway.

So, either you buy another RaLink product whose chipset has a free firmware or 
you follow some howtos to get both the driver and the non-free firmware 
installed on your system. I hope you don't take the latter.

> -- 
> Saludos/Greetings
> Quiliro Ordóñez
> 593(02)340 1517 / 593(09)821 8696
> http://quiliro.wordpress.com
> Artículos recientes:
> - Por que aceptar derechos de autor y patentes si no
> tenemos ninguna?

Best regards,
Eus (FSF member #4445)

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