[linux-dvb] AW: Re: DVB driver for B2C2 based budget cards (such as Technisat SkyStar 2)

["Torsten Schlabach" <tschlabach@gmx.net>]

Dear Miernik,

thank you for the link. I will have a look into it, but I need to say I
am skeptic. The BIOS of such an old computer was 4 KB, maybe 16 KB if it
really was one of the "newer" computers. The driver you sent has about
260 KB of object code. That will be a disassembler output comparable to
the telephone directory of the city of Berlin.

Anyway ... it's worth having a look. Nevertheless: If anyone has any
developer documentation on programming the B2C2 chip: Please consider
sharing it with me!

Torsten

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Miernik [mailto:miernik@tarnica.ctnet.pl] Im Auftrag von Miernik
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 30. Januar 2003 22:46
An: linux-dvb@linuxtv.org
Betreff: [linux-dvb] Re: DVB driver for B2C2 based budget cards (such as
Technisat SkyStar 2)

On Thu, Jan 30, 2003 at 10:23:06PM +0100, Torsten Schlabach wrote:
> >> In many coutries even disassembling the driver in order to write a 
> completely new one is ont illegal EVEN IF the vendors licence 
> prohibits disassembling.
> 
> Do you know what countries these are or do you have any pointers to
some
> literature on this topic? I think the other part of the story is if

I've read about this that this law was used to legally disassemble the 
BIOS of one of the old computers (it was either Amiga, Amstrad or 
Atari - they all begin with A, so I don't remeber which one).

This was they legally made a machine compatible with the original 
computer (the A.... company didn't want to release any 
specifications).

> Aside from legal issues, I am not sure if I think it will be realistic
> to understand the chipset interface from looking at the uncommented
> disassembled code. Anyone has any experience with this? I might be
wrong
> or over-estimate the complexity ?!?

Surely it is poossible, the question is - in what time :)
I think it is worth it - it would be great to have two different 
hardware platforms for GPL Linux based DVB systems. I hate it when 
there is only one hardware platform which is possible to use - it's 
great to have a choice. And the low price of these cards...

BTW: I just had a great idea for all GNU community to benefit from: 

There is a bi-directional mailing-list <-> nntp gateway at 
http://gmane.org/ 
They will offer feeds for anyone who wants in the near future.

It would be great to take such feed, and:
Buy some bandwith on a satellite service, and transmitt all the groups 
multicast, so everyone who has a DVB card and antenna can receive it 
without any monthly cost in real time!

Don't you think this would be great?
There are many users/developers who otherise have to pay money they 
can't afford to be online. With such service it will be posibble to 
receive all the groups without any uplink (however they will need 
uplink to post - but that is small cost, because you read much more 
than post).

I have looked at the statistics, and all the groups there take only 11 
kbps in total, it will be probably a little larger when new groups are 
added, so a 16 kbps will be enough. It should not cost more than 100 
EUR monthly to multicast that. And one multicast would supply it all 
for whole Europe. A second multicast on a different satellite would be 
needed for America, and maybe a third one for Asia. We could look for 
some sponsor, or even collect money from GNU users and developers, for 
example 1 EUR monthly for each user. The fee would not be mandatory, 
but I am sure that there would eaisly be 100 people who would pay 
1 EUR monthly for this service to run.

What do you think? Ability to receive all mailing lists in real-time 
for 1 EUR monthly?

> I’ve heard that, but please, where is it?

http://www.esat.pl/files/dvb/technisat/b2c2_install_base.tgz

-- 
    Miernik
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