From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Mar 29 15:22:38 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8A49816A41F for ; Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:22:38 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from erikt@owl.midgard.homeip.net) Received: from pne-smtpout2-sn1.fre.skanova.net (pne-smtpout2-sn1.fre.skanova.net [81.228.11.159]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D4F9A43D6E for ; Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:22:34 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from erikt@owl.midgard.homeip.net) Received: from falcon.midgard.homeip.net (83.253.29.241) by pne-smtpout2-sn1.fre.skanova.net (7.2.070) id 43F9B8E90090E0B3 for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Wed, 29 Mar 2006 17:22:33 +0200 Received: (qmail 80553 invoked from network); 29 Mar 2006 17:22:33 +0200 Received: from owl.midgard.homeip.net (10.1.5.7) by falcon.midgard.homeip.net with SMTP; 29 Mar 2006 17:22:33 +0200 Received: (qmail 10376 invoked by uid 1001); 29 Mar 2006 17:22:32 +0200 Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 17:22:32 +0200 From: Erik Trulsson To: Adam Stroud Message-ID: <20060329152232.GA10263@owl.midgard.homeip.net> Mail-Followup-To: Adam Stroud , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org References: <442A9DA0.9060703@thegeeklord.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <442A9DA0.9060703@thegeeklord.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.11 Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: "Blob" and FreeBSD X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:22:38 -0000 On Wed, Mar 29, 2006 at 09:45:52AM -0500, Adam Stroud wrote: > I have been using both Open and Free BSD for a few years. Here is a > Quick question about FreeBSD and the use of third party closed source > binary drivers (known as "blob" to the OpenBSD community). I was just > doing some reading on the OpenBSD website about their views on third > closed source drivers (they are completely against them). Are the > FreeBSD developers/community also against the use of closed drivers? Most people involved with open source projects dislike closed drivers, and FreeBSD are no exception here. FreeBSD does however tend to take a somewhat more pragmatic approach then the OpenBSD people do, and do not absolutely refuse to use binary-only drivers if that is the only option available. > Are these type of drivers currently being used in FreeBSD? Yes. hptmv(4), nve(4) and ath_hal(4) are examples of drivers where a significant portion of the driver is only available as binary "blob." > Any > comments/pointers to relevant information would be greatly appreciated. -- Erik Trulsson ertr1013@student.uu.se