Re: The i2o Bus: A Conspiracy Against Free Software? (fwd)
Geert Uytterhoeven (Geert.Uytterhoeven@cs.kuleuven.ac.be)
Fri, 18 Jul 1997 17:17:09 +0200 (CEST)
On Fri, 18 Jul 1997, Tethys wrote:
> >> I suspect that if i2o peripherals become popular, free operating systems
> >> will be locked out from running on PC hardware.
> >
> >I've got 2 words for this (if it's true): REVERSE ENGINEER.
> >It's been done before, and it'll be done again...
>
> Depending on what you're reverse engineering, it may also be illegal.
> However, you should be able to apply dirty/clean room techniques to
> it to achieve the same effect.
According to European Union law, reverse engineering for reasons of
interoperability is allowed.
This means that you're allowed to disassemble Windows drivers to make your
board work with Linux.
Greetings,
Geert
--
Geert Uytterhoeven Geert.Uytterhoeven@cs.kuleuven.ac.be
Wavelets, Linux/m68k on Amiga http://www.cs.kuleuven.ac.be/~geert/
Department of Computer Science -- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven -- Belgium