Re: [SLE] Rhetorical question

On Tuesday 19 September 2006 18:06, M Harris wrote:
On Tuesday 19 September 2006 20:45, Stevens wrote:
Why do some in the Linux community treat ndiswrapper with
such contempt? It seems to me that if something works,
especially as well as ndiswrapper, what damned difference
does it make if the device drivers were written for use in
Windows? I rather think that the concept should be
expanded to include the universe of devices that are not
currently useable with Linux due to unavailable drivers.

hi Fred,
The problem with ndiswrapper (or any other binary driver) is that it
breaks the linux kernel philosophy, and also poses a threat to the
stability of linux in general.
One reason Windoze is *broken* is that way too many vendors (binary
drivers) are trusted to run at ring zero (root level). This is not going to
happen with Linux... and thankfully so far, the linux kernel development
people are sticking to their guns on this. If you want to *taint* your
kernel and take the chance that that binary driver you just loaded into
your kernel is safe, robust, and can be trusted... go for it. However, the
open source gpl concept says that the kernel is going to be open, stable,
and untainted (unless the user decides to shoot his/her own foot)


Er, wouldn't it be better to explain this with out tossing FUD around like
some microsoft salesman?

Shoot Yourself in the Foot? By loading a wireless driver?
For god sakes give it a rest man!
You sound like a tainted kernel is a hanging offense.

80% of linux users are running tainted kernels. (I pulled that
statistic out of my ass, - go ahead and prove me wrong).

Taint simply means one is doing more with the machine than
the original kernel developers were able to supply. It simply means
you can take a module designed for another platform and run it in
a sandbox and make it work in Linux. The solution is brilliant.

If ndiswrapper is the only way you get you network card working
you either open you wallet and fork over $35 for a card that works or climb
down off your ivory tower and load ndiswrapper and go about your business.



Another problem with ndiswrapper particularly, is that the wireless
standards are badly exposed with security holes... and most of the windoze
drivers for wifi are painfully vulnerable... and that makes linux
vulnerable too.... for ndiswrapper users.

There is ABSOLUTELY no evidence that open source drivers prevent
the "wireless standards" from being "badly exposed with security holes".
(whatever the hell that means).

Open source drivers have to ad-hear to the same standards. If WEP is
broken and weak, it will still be broken and weak with open source
drivers.


And lastly, software should be open.... period. The days of
proprietary hardware drivers must end.... now. I am getting to the point
that if a piece of ah--- hardware, doesn't have an open linux driver then I
don't need their hardware. Period>

Well how cute.

Let me summarize:

You don't like Windows.
Ndiswrapper allows you to use windows drivers in Linux.
Therefore, Ndiswrapper is evil.


Time to grow up Mr Harris. Buy what ever card you want
but don't trash a very clever solution to migrating a product
from one platform to another just because of your political
beliefs.


--
_____________________________________
John Andersen

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