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Tom Brough wrote: > 2. I don't know about your own PC configurations you may well be all > running open firmwire but for myself and I suspect most of you will be > running the BIOS supplied by the manufacturer of your motherboard. And > thus there will ALWAYS be a bit of proprietary software necessary to get > your favourite distro (no matter how open / proprietary it is) up and > running. You can shout "Unclean, Unclean ...." at who every you wish, > but nothing is going to change this fact for quite some time yet. I own two computers. They both run Open Firmware. I also have a laptop, IBM ThinkPad, which doesn't. I hope to remedy this. > 3. This "proprietary firmware" issue is a sham, partly because of what I > said above, but also because there are important rules that specifically > apply to WiFi cards, you just can't have people trampling all over radio > frequencies and there harmonics, there are many important radio > frequency bands out there, Airline, Police, Ambulance, Marine Coast > Guard, etc.. etc.. etc... . Thats why we have the FCC and that is why > manufactures have to put firmware in place (for wifi cards) to ensure > that they comply with the reglations. If a way can be found to ensure > that free firmware can meet the same requirement all is well and good. > BUT I will continue to use proprietary firmware drivers for projects > that may well mean internet connection for people in developing > countries who have none at the moment. To sit here and deny that right > of access to information about education, health, farming practices, and > a host of other information essential to the growth of developing > nations simply because a drivers firmware does not meet someones ethical > standards is just plain UNFAIR. If every distro of linux where to outlaw > said firmware drivers, I would have to compile my own, time wasted. Except there are cards that work without proprietary firmware. RA2500 cards, for example. I don't think every distribution will ever remove all it's proprietary firmware. That's not what the issue is here, the issue promoting distributions which promote non-free software software. matt -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html