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    SubjectRe: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more Driver core patches for 2.6.19]
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    On Tue, 19 Dec 2006 23:57:45 +1100, Marek Wawrzyczny said:
    > On Sunday 17 December 2006 21:11, Geert Uytterhoeven wrote:
    > > Since `works with' may sound a bit too vague, something like
    > > `LinuxFriendly(tm)', with a happy penguin logo?
    >
    > It would be really cool to see penguin logos on hardware :)

    The little Microsoft flag sticker that was on my Dell Latitude got
    replaced with a sticker that has a Tux and 'linux inside' on it. :)

    > I had another, probably crazy idea. Would it be possible to utilize the
    > current vendor/device PCI ID database to create Linux friendliness matrix
    > site?
    >
    > And if you let yourself get carried away, you can also imagine a little
    > multi-platform utility. It would run on a test system collecting PCI IDs
    > before submitting them to the site to get the system's overall Linux
    > friendliness rating.

    This is a can of worms, and then some. For instance, let's consider this
    Latitude. *THIS* one has an NVidia Quadro NVS 110M in it. However, that's
    not the default graphics card on a Latitude D820. So what number do you
    put in? Do you use:

    a) the *default* graphics card
    b) the one *I* have with the open-source driver
    c) the same one, but with the NVidia binary driver?

    (Remember that "users" have different criteria than "developers" - most
    users would consider this entire thread "intellectual wanking", especially
    since the patch that spawned it got withdrawn. And 'Frames Per Second'
    trumps that stupid little 'P' in the oops message. Failure to understand
    this mindset guarantees that your computation of a "friendliness rating"
    is yet more intellectual wanking... ;)

    Similar issues are involved with the wireless card - the Intel 3945 I
    have isn't the default. Repeat for several different disk options, and
    at least 4 or 5 different CD/ROM/DVD options. Add in the fact that Dell
    often changes suppliers for disk and CD/DVD drives, and you have a nightmare
    coming...

    And then there's stuff on this machine that are *not* options, but don't
    matter to me. I see an 'O2 Micro' Firewire in the 'lspci' output. I have
    no idea how well it works. I don't care what it contributes to the score.
    On the other hand, somebody who uses external Firewire disk enclosures may
    be *very* concerned about it, but not care in the slightest about the wireless
    card.

    Bonus points for figuring out what to do with systems that have some chip
    that's a supported XYZ driver, but wired up behind a squirrely bridge with
    some totally bizarre IRQ allocation, so you end up with something that's
    visible on lspci but not actually *usable* in any real sense of the term...

    > Something like that could really help end users to select the right system and
    > would reward those who do the right thing.

    "You are trapped in a maze of twisty little configurations, all different..."


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