Adam Jackson wrote:
Firmware is usually code for some PLD or ASIC, which needs specialized
(and EXPENSIVE) compilers to build. Most people are unlikely to be able
to turn the source into the firmware.
So.. most people can't work a compiler but they can still benefit from the
fact there are people who can and do have the tools and use them.
Even if you don't have the tools to rebuild the firmware, knowing what
it's doing helps you figure out why your driver doesn't work. Being
able to read the source is valuable enough on its own.
I don't think anyone is arguing that source availability is bad, but how
something is distributed is up to the author/copyright holder. The only
way to get free source is for someone to write/own it that wants to give
it away and has rights to all components that it might be derived from.
There are, and probably always will be cases where that hasn't
happened for something you need to drive a piece of hardware.
--
Les Mikesell
lesmikesell@xxxxxxxxx
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