Xref: utzoo comp.dcom.lans:8464 comp.sys.novell:1981 Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans,comp.sys.novell Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!clarkson!grape.ecs.clarkson.edu!nelson From: nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) Subject: Re: Packet Drivers for XIRCOM enet adaptor Reply-To: nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu (aka NELSON@CLUTX.BITNET) Organization: Clarkson University, Potsdam NY Date: 25 Jun 91 22:16:06 Message-ID: Followup-To: comp.dcom.lans In-Reply-To: legg@ucs.adelaide.edu.au's message of 25 Jun 91 23:49:46 GMT References: <3807@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> Sender: usenet@grape.ecs.clarkson.edu In article <3807@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> legg@ucs.adelaide.edu.au (Christian Legg) writes: Does anyone out there have a packet driver or similar for use with a Xircom ethernet adaptor? I advise people not to buy Xircom adaptors. Here's the story, you can decide for yourself if you wish to buy their products: I wrote some skeleton software to assist people writing network drivers. It's copyrighted using the FSF's GPL. Xircom donated one of their pocket Ethernet adapters to Brad Clements in our computing center. He used their object module and wrote some of his own code, and linked it to my skeleton. They were not happy when Brad told them that the copyright required that they release their source code. And I insisted that they do so. So we came up with a compromise -- they would give the source to anyone who signed a nondisclosure agreement. I thought that was reasonable (at the time), and agreed to it. So they went on distributing it. Then I heard that they had reneged on our agreement, and that they were writing their own proprietary packet driver. However, they continued to distribute the one derived from my code so I called for a boycott of their products. Legal action wouldn't be useful, because I have no money to sue them, and they've been making lots of money off their adaptors. And even the boycott isn't going to accomplish much because the people who need packet drivers aren't a large part of their business. So, I guess they get away with their theft. There are alternatives to their products made by D-Link, Accton Technology, and others. -- --russ I'm proud to be a humble Quaker. I am leaving the employ of Clarkson as of June 30. Hopefully this email address will remain. If it doesn't, use nelson@gnu.ai.mit.edu.