Re: approaching vendors with a consolidation of effort

Idea is brave, but I dont think it will work
There are already sime ap's with linux
also the big problem is wlan card chipset makers
who ususly keep their driver code top secret,
as I know only admtek is more or less open.
(maibe someone at least know the reason why driver code is top secret?
 when normal ethernet drivers are open)
I suppose they are afraid that we are going to use illegal channels or maybe
they stole them from competitors?
So this will be big problem

also some manufacturers are so dumb that they even dont know what are they
producing
Acorp is example (I faced that personaly)
I suppose uniden CAN be similar but they produce wery cheap.

others may give some information but dumb bosses of these companies will
newer agree
since then they will need to show everyone how bad works their staff,
as I see there is no product without bugs what is normal if company is
fixing them
but why bother fixing when we can put new sticker on the same box and
advetise new product with more features that are not worth mentioning in
comparison to linux posibilities.
I think it is quite good reason since only realy good hardware have official
linux support.

I think the good way should be continue this project and offer for all
companies free software design for any ap
I suppose this can interest few, but again directors of most companies wont
like this idea since they NEED someone to blame in case of bug (In the one
of my jobs director was asking who is responsible even in case of
earthquake), who you are going to blame and fire fom job in linux comunity?
Better hire few programes who will spend more time licking their boss feet
than developing software.
But basicaly this can work if we offer to create alternative firmware for
the most cheap hardware they have which will offer more features than any
other for free. but we need to find the original creator since most cheapest
hardware is clones made by license. thus manufacturer either dont know about
their product anyhing either signed nondiclosure agreement.
Or we can offer for someone who makes CPUs to create good reference project,
nobody will be smart enough to change something anyway.

In any way this would work 10 times better if someone can take
responsibility for sucess of the project

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Serr" <[email protected]>
To: "Linux Access Point Development" <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 02, 2004 2:28 AM
Subject: [LinuxAP-dev] approaching vendors with a consolidation of effort


> Since the SOHO hacked AP for $30-50 is just too good of a
> deal... what
> if  [I know I'm a dreamer]
>
> There was a petition.  Not a dumb petition to try to convince one of the
> companies to yield to our desire, but a petition that quantifies the
> interest and lets these companies see the numbers.
>
> Something like this:
>
> 1. Setup a web sign up sheet for 2 groups: people that would hack and
> people that would use
> 2. Try to get as many of the hackAP projects members on there as possible.
> 3. Try to get hackedAP users to sign up, easy if you could get on
> slashdot... right?  ;)
> 4. Approach these companies like Dlink, Netgear, Linksys, USR, SMC, etc
> 5. Basically say, HERE is the demand.  '"'We've identified you out of 9
> potential corporate sponsors.'"'  Sponsorship costs no money.  It only
> requires technical information so our Linux engineers can utilize your
> hardware.  And potentially a small amount of email correspondence with
> one of your hardware engineers.
>
> The more I think of this...  the more I like it.  A subtle factor is
> they are 1 of 9, if they decline.. they are withdrawing from a market
> that their competitors are just being invited into.
>
> I can setup a website on a big pipe, if you guys think this might fly.
> [I don't think I could survive a slashdoting though]
>
> -Scott
>
>
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