From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1751219AbWGCRgn (ORCPT ); Mon, 3 Jul 2006 13:36:43 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1751220AbWGCRgn (ORCPT ); Mon, 3 Jul 2006 13:36:43 -0400 Received: from smtp.nildram.co.uk ([195.112.4.54]:53512 "EHLO smtp.nildram.co.uk") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751219AbWGCRgn (ORCPT ); Mon, 3 Jul 2006 13:36:43 -0400 From: Alistair John Strachan To: "Alon Bar-Lev" Subject: [OT] Re: Driver for Microsoft USB Fingerprint Reader Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 18:37:07 +0100 User-Agent: KMail/1.9.3 Cc: "Daniel Bonekeeper" , kernelnewbies@nl.linux.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org References: <9e0cf0bf0607030304n62991dafk19f09e41d69e9ab0@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <9e0cf0bf0607030304n62991dafk19f09e41d69e9ab0@mail.gmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200607031837.07236.s0348365@sms.ed.ac.uk> Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Monday 03 July 2006 11:04, Alon Bar-Lev wrote: [snip] > I hate when vendors like ATI, Conexant and UPEK publish binary drivers > without publishing the chipset spec... They should decide whether > their IP is on the software part or on the hardware part, if it is on > the hardware part, they are making money in selling the hardware. If > it is on the software part, there is no reason why not providing the > information for others to write software to work with the primitive > hardware. So in either case there should be full hardware interface > disclosure. Personally, I'm annoyed that Reverse Engineering is so frowned upon that stupid laws get passed to block it, and that the practice is misrepresented by the media. I think degree programs for Computer Science and Engineering at Universities across (at least) Europe should run reverse engineering courses for those interested. Assembler and the ability to read machine code is becoming a forgotten skill, and it's the only way that we can help negate vendors' "anti-choice, anti-consumer" attitude. -- Cheers, Alistair. Final year Computer Science undergraduate. 1F2 55 South Clerk Street, Edinburgh, UK.