Wifi and Linux (Was: [Gllug] Linux on Desktop )

[Dan Kolb]

On Tue, Feb 13, 2007 at 11:23:12AM +0000, Ryan Cartwright wrote:
> The prism cards (v1 and v2) require firmware under Linux too - there are
> two versions of non-free firmware and an attempt at a free one as well.
> The v3 card apparently works under Linux with the islsm driver (and
> firmware).
> (http://daemonizer.de/prism54/wg511/ [1])

So it appears that it's only the Marvell chipset card that's not supported by
Linux.

> With regards v2 support I'd imagine this to be the same way that v2
> works under Linux (e.g. it depends what chipset you have on your card).
> Unless, of course, you know that the Marvell chipset is supported by
> OpenBSD?

Indeed - see http://www.openbsd.org/i386.html, and my other mail.

Actually, while writing this, it's been pointed out that OpenBSD 4.0 doesn't
have it. A better look at the man page says that it'll be supported in OpenBSD
4.1 (or will be in -current, if one feels like being a bit bleeding-edge)


> On a side note and maybe a little OT: I notice you said OpenBSD
> "supports" the cards - I guess I never thought of it that way around. Do
> the group consider a card working with Linux to be "supported by" or
> "supporting" Linux? I usually say the latter but of course as the
> drivers are more often written by the community it's probably more
> likely the former.

I personally would say the former. The Operating System contains the drivers
for a bit of hardware. Saying hardware is 'supporting' Linux implies that the
hardware manufacturer is encouraging people to use Linux, or at the very least
has written their own driver. For the most part, this isn't true - at best the
manufacturer releases specs for their hardware, and someone else does the
driver-writing grunt work: hence the bit of kit is supported by (passive), not
supporting (active) the OS.

Dan
-- 
Nuclear war would really set back cable.
		-- Ted Turner
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