this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2023
5 points (100.0% liked)

Technology

18 readers
1 users here now

This magazine is dedicated to discussions on the latest developments, trends, and innovations in the world of technology. Whether you are a tech enthusiast, a developer, or simply curious about the latest gadgets and software, this is the place for you. Here you can share your knowledge, ask questions, and engage in discussions on topics such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and more. From the impact of technology on society to the ethical considerations of new technologies, this category covers a wide range of topics related to technology. Join the conversation and let's explore the ever-evolving world of technology together!

founded 2 years ago
5
How do projects like PINE64 and Asahi Linux write open-source drivers legally? (kbin.social)
submitted 2 years ago by vtez44@kbin.social to c/tech@kbin.social
1 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

How do those projects write open-source drivers for proprietary hardware legally? I know that there's "clean-room" reverse engineering, but is it really a requirement? From what I understand, you can write docs about how the hardware works and then the other team can write a software based on that documentation.

What if the new software is just implementing the necessities for compatibility and other than that is a different product? Is it still illegal for just one team to do that?

top 1 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] valpackett@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 years ago

You can actually literally watch marcan/lina/(more rarely)alyssa from asahi work on livestreams :) No, they don't actually do that kind of clean-room. There's no issue with learning about how the hardware works and directly applying that to writing drivers! Hardware and drivers aren't even comparable, they're complementary. One basically cannot infringe on the other.

Clean-room techniques come from actually cloning very similar things. Basically the original Phoenix BIOS cloning IBM. As a more recent example Wine/ReactOS.