From owner-freebsd-hackers  Tue Dec 19 12:48: 2 2000
From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG  Tue Dec 19 12:47:58 2000
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Received: from smtp02.primenet.com (smtp02.primenet.com [206.165.6.132])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B9DC637B400
	for <freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>; Tue, 19 Dec 2000 12:47:58 -0800 (PST)
Received: (from daemon@localhost)
	by smtp02.primenet.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) id NAA26596;
	Tue, 19 Dec 2000 13:39:07 -0700 (MST)
Received: from 206-132-48-244.nas-1.SCF.primenet.com(206.132.48.244), claiming to be "max"
 via SMTP by smtp02.primenet.com, id smtpdAAAnlaiWZ; Tue Dec 19 13:38:52 2000
Reply-To: <sshoecraft@1-link.net>
From: "Steve Shoecraft" <sshoecraft@1-link.net>
To: "'Soren Schmidt'" <sos@freebsd.dk>
Cc: <freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject: RE: FreeBSD vs Linux, Solaris, and NT
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 2000 13:46:24 -0700
Message-ID: <000101c069fc$c0e3bf00$f43084ce@max.home.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-Priority: 3 (Normal)
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2173.0
Importance: Normal
In-Reply-To: <200012192031.VAA61360@freebsd.dk>
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4
Sender: owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG
Precedence: bulk
X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG

>
> It seems Steve Shoecraft wrote:
> >
> > 	There are a number of reasons why a manufacturer can
> not/will not release
> > source code for a driver.  A few that come to mind are:
> >
> > 		a) A device driver is a reflection of the
> hardware.  Manufacturers in
> > highly competitive markets could potentially be giving away
> trade secrets
> > for their new wiz-bang technology by publishing the source code.
> >
> > 		b) Manufacturers license technology from other
> manufacturers for inclusion
> > into their product.  The license/NDA does not allow them to
> disseminate the
> > information (either through source or documentation).
>
> c. the driver is so embarrasing they wont show it to the world
>
> This is more common than you would belive :)

Heh.  This is true of the ATI example source ... *whew* is it bad =P

>
> > 	EXAMPLE: I have been trying to deal with ATI recently
> regarding my
> > All-In-Wonder 128 and TV-Out.  Although they have been
> *VERY* helpful in
> > giving me example source and datasheets for the R128
> chipset, they cannot
> > give me the information on how to enable TV-Out.  This is
> because the
> > ImpactTV chipset on my AIW contains technology licensed
> from Macrovision,
> > and for them (ATI) to release the information to me would
> breach their
> > agreement with Macrovision and open them up to a nice fat
> lawsuit.  I *MAY*
> > have to try and get a license from Macrovision and then
> present my licensing
> > info to ATI -- and even if I did, I would not be able to
> distribute the
> > source for that component of the driver... (sigh)
>
> Well, go read the GATOS project source, they know how to switch the
> TVout stuff at least it works on my AIW :)
>

Is your AIW based on the R128 or M64?  GATOS has R128 TV-Out support
disabled by default.  Enabling it (commenting out the if (ati.r128) return
0;) doesn't seem to work on my card, and I didn't spend a whole lot of time
playing with it.  I grabbed the latest CVS source about a month ago.

>
> -Søren
>
>
> To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
> with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message
>

- Steve



To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe freebsd-hackers" in the body of the message