Feature:Positive Changes

Recently Red Hat has announced that they will begin distributing binary X servers for video cards with NDAs and unreleased specs. Personally, I have a NeoMagic chipset, so I'm happy to see it. Frank LaMonica has written up his opinions on this issue and sent them here. In any case, you should read why he thinks that this is a good idea.

The following is a feature by Slashdot Reader Frank LaMonica

Positive Changes come from a Managed Process

Before you allow yourself to focus only on the negative aspects of releasing a binary only NeoMagic driver, please consider all of the facts. There is much more happening here than is apparent.

First of all, this arrangement is not a precedent, it was done by S.u.S.E. with their 3Dlabs drivers because they were initially not allowed to distribute source code. S.u.S.E. recognized the need within the Open Source community to have support for 3Dlabs products and created binary only drivers to satisfy that need. Despite the fact that drivers were then available, things were still happening behind the scenes. S.u.S.E. was not satisfied to release only binary drivers and I was asked to intercede on their behalf to try to get permission from 3Dlabs to allow S.u.S.E. to release its driver source code.

The as-yet unannounced news is that I was able to present to 3Dlabs a solid business case to convince them to allow S.u.S.E. to release its driver source for the Permedia (I & 2) drivers for public distribution. This happened yesterday and has probably not been announced yet by S.u.S.E. The reason that negotiation was successful is because 3Dlabs was led to appreciate the enormous asset which the Open Source community brings to their business. It had nothing to do with threats, rancor, or any venomous attacks levied against their business by the Open Source community. Those types of actions evoke emotional responses from board and chipset vendors which actually undermine the work being done to 1) elevate Linux and other Open Source projects within their reality to the level they should be, and 2) develop the rapport with these vendors that is necessary for a healthy business relationship is to exist. There are very good business reasons which, if presented correctly to a board or chipset vendor, will convince them to allow the driver sources to be released to the public. Once emotions get involved than logic often doesn't prevail.

Getting back to NeoMagic.

As the Red Hat announcement clearly states, the XBF_Neomagic driver is a temporary solution which will exist only until NeoMagic is led to see the benefit to themselves for allowing the source to be freely and openly distributed. Prior to this release, the only way anyone with a NeoMagic based laptop could run X was to purchase a commercial X Server. It could be argued that the pressure of having no free (in $'s) driver could be used to force NeoMagic to allow developers to release their source code because the Open Source community could convince many users to avoid buying a NeoMagic based computer. The theory is that NeoMagic would feel the heat of lost sales and then agree to allow us to release the source. The unfortunate reality of that approach is Windows drives the market, not Linux, so the only people being hurt are the Linux users or, worse still, those people who already own a NeoMagic laptop and want to try Linux.

NeoMagic^Òs policy about holding their intellectual property as confidential information was created with no consideration whatsoever about Open Source or Linux. They are not guilty of undermining the Open Source movement. NeoMagic simply does not yet understand the importance of that movement to their own business. Linux is not yet on their radar scope. Do you remember a time in your life when Linux didn^Òt mean anything to you? Once you were convinced that it was important to you then you did everything that was necessary to promote it. The same thing will happen with every board and chip vendor as each of them are convinced of the importance of Linux to their own business.

I visited NeoMagic at their facility last week and was able to elevate the issue internally within their company. I have convinced their Director of Software Development that allowing us to release our driver source is good for NeoMagic^Òs business. Their legal department is right now reviewing the matter and a decision should be coming within the month. The decision may not be in our favor, and if it^Òs not then I^Òll try again. The important thing is that motion is occurring in the right direction.

My first goal in resolving the NeoMagic issue is to remove the emotional content from the arguments. That is being done to some degree by making the binary drivers available to people who already have machines and can^Òt run X or just happen to want hardware that contains a NeoMagic chipset. I hope that this essay will also move some people to be more patient. Presently, many believers in Open Source have been publicly lambasting NeoMagic and openly declaring war on them because of NeoMagic's policy. The effect of that tactic has been to make my job of championing the business case much more difficult and is actually counterproductive to our mutual goal of having all software available to all users in source form.

Please look at both sides of the issue and try to understand that we can all get what we want, and probably much faster, by working within the limits of acceptable business etiquette.