Kernel hackers call for open source drivers
Linux kernel developers today began to petition hardware vendors to provide open source modules and drivers. In a statement signed by more than 140 Linux kernel developers, the group said that closed-source Linux kernel modules or drivers were “detrimental to Linux users, businesses, and the greater Linux ecosystem”.
“Such modules negate the openness, stability, flexibility, and maintainability of the Linux development model and shut their users off from the expertise of the Linux community.”
The group of developers said that in order to “take full advantage of the cost savings and shared support benefits open source has to offer, we urge vendors to adopt a policy of supporting their customers on Linux with open-source kernel code”.
