[linux-dvb] Re: Bad news (summary)

[Ralph Metzler <rjkm@convergence.de>]

Andreas Steinhauser writes:
 > Hello,
 > 
 > Carsten wrote:
 > >  > Marcus, please correct me if I am wrong:
 > >  >
 > >  > *  The driver is GPL, but without your special firmware
 > >  >    the driver does not work.
 > >
 > >
 > > No, without the correct driver the card+firmware does not work :-)
 > 
 > Hups, you're right :-)
 > But the question was: "is there a chance to use the driver _without_
 > you're firmware modification? Or is the modification so generic, that
 > ther is no need to change that ever?"

You cannot use the driver without firmware at all unless you only
want to tune but not see anything.
Do you mean if you can use it with other firmwares like the ones from
Technotrend? No, currently not. 
But you could rewrite it to work with other firmwares since you have
the sources.

 
 > >  > *  The firmware is not GPL and there is a risk that due
 > >  >    to legal problems it will no longer be distributed in
 > >  >    the future.
 > >
 > > binary-only firmwares. The firmware even runs on a different CPU.
 > > Even on the same CPU binary-only modules which interact with GPL
 > > modules and the kernel are allowed. We don't see a problem.
 > 
 > But the permission to the firmware code of fujitsu-siemens is granted to
 > convergence? So what would happen, if convergence would go down?

OK, you got me there. Good question.
I guess I would have to ask them for permission to continue this.


Ralph


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