On 3/9/07, Francesco Poli <frx@firenze.linux.it> wrote:
> For a lot of wifi cards (dunno about Intel's) it's regulatory - they > can't sell cards that can be easily modified to exceed FCC limits, so > they limit it in a binary firmware. If they gave away the source, > people could easily modify the card to exceed the legal output power, > and thus they can't give away source. This sounds like another cheap excuse: I cannot believe that the law really says that *Intel* is responsible if *I* modify an Intel WiFi card so that it exceeds regulatory limits... If there indeed is a law like this in some jurisdiction, well, the law should be changed ASAP. Intel should be able to sell easily-reprogrammable WiFi cards: if *I* modify one card and exceed regulatory limits, I should be seen as the *sole* responsible.
While I agree that this isn't an excuse for not freeing it, it's *NOT*
whether Intel is responsible, it's that they don't want you doing it
anyway.
ie. A crowbar can be used to break in to a house. I can give you one
and not be responsible if you break into a house, but maybe I don't
want you to anyway, so I won't give you one.
--
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