Is novell becoming the new microsoft?

[currentresident]

While trying to verify if the new compaq is compatable with SUSE I came across a post about an HP user who had problems with his broadcom card. He installed an atheros card in the HP but laptop did not allow a different card to be installed. It looks like novell SUSE will work on the compaq only because novel and microsoft has the drivers for the broadcom cards. These drivers are not available to other linux users. This seams to me to be contrary to the linux philosophy and the compaq computer should be avoided.

[deltaflyer44]

& where did you get the idea the broadcom drivers are only for MS & novell ? i'm also running Debian & a few other *nixes using the broadcom drivers.

Andy

Edit: i use broadcom's & the b43 drivers,just to experiment

[Confuseling]

I thought openSUSE, along with Debian, are actually probably more fanatical about open-sourceness than any other mainstream distros.

If you can find evidence of Novell playing funny with drivers [Hint: Key word 'evidence'. It won't be on boycottnovell.com], a significant proportion of SUSE users will jump ship. Otherwise, it's more grist for the rumour mill...

[growbag]

Originally Posted by currentresident

While trying to verify if the new compaq is compatable with SUSE I came across a post about an HP user who had problems with his broadcom card. He installed an atheros card in the HP but laptop did not allow a different card to be installed. It looks like novell SUSE will work on the compaq only because novel and microsoft has the drivers for the broadcom cards. These drivers are not available to other linux users. This seams to me to be contrary to the linux philosophy and the compaq computer should be avoided.

Ooookaaay, someone changed their wireless card and that means that Novell is the same as Microsoft?

That's nothing - I changed my socks yesterday and fires broke out in France and Greece!

By this guy's logic that must mean that JFK really was assassinated by space aliens, and the world really IS flat!

I always knew it, but this proves it .

Oh, and by the way, the Broadcom firmware is available here - http://linuxwireless.org/en/users/Drivers/b43 ...just don't tell Microsoft, the CIA, or Bob Geldoff, or we'll all be in BIG trouble!

[consused]

Originally Posted by growbag

Ooookaaay, someone changed their wireless card and that means that Novell is the same as Microsoft?

That's nothing - I changed my socks yesterday and fires broke out in France and Greece!

Hehehe. So that's what they mean by "interoperability" i.e. Novell and Microsoft are interchangeable. Therefore your socks must have interoperability with France and Greece. That means your socks will have been boycotted and featured in a special website. This new approach to thinking does explain many things...

[Chrysantine]

This thread delivers on levels never before seen in these forums!

[consused]

Saturday night special, so don't expect this level of support every day.

[growbag]

And if you ask really nicely, I'll explain in ten easy to learn steps how to eat your own head and then go on to be a "Big Brother" star

[Dwarfer99]

To be honest I can understand the trust of the original argument. If drivers are developed for Linux, then they should be available for all Linux users and not just the Dell/HP/Novell users. For example, winmodem drivers. In the end keeping these drivers back is self defeating.

[growbag]

Originally Posted by Dwarfer99

To be honest I can understand the trust of the original argument. If drivers are developed for Linux, then they should be available for all Linux users and not just the Dell/HP/Novell users. For example, winmodem drivers. In the end keeping these drivers back is self defeating.

That's exactly what made absolutely no sense whatsoever, the drivers ARE available for each and every version of Linux on the planet!

The b43 driver is part of the kernel (from 2.6.27 onward I believe) , and so is provided with the kernel source.

The only part missing is the firmware, which can be downloaded and installed, although this is considered illegal in some countries.

The firmware is not included in the Linux kernel because Broadcom refuse to release it as GPL, and if a Linux distribution (or any other OS for that matter) wants to pay money to Broadcom in order to include their firmware in their OS, it is their business and right to do so.

openSUSE will not provide Broadcom firmware illegally, but it does provide a method for retrieving the said firmware. It isn't advertised, but it is there.

The OP obviously didn't understand this, and quite frankly his post sounded incredibly "off the wall", hence my poking of fun at it.