[Assist] Objet

[192.ejaj at netcmail.com]

Hello,

I have checked some wireless usb stick dongle device on the market around where I live, but it is impossible to check the used chipset on the outside of the package. Is there any mean to know which chipset is used by a product?

As suggested by bill-auger, I may also ask to the seller to test the product directly with a computer. In this case, I have a question: how can I check with my system (Parabola-Live from usb stick) which chipset is used by the plugged-wireless usb dongle?

Thank you for your contribution.

Freely yours,
Ejaj

---- Message d'origine ----
> De : 192.ejaj at netcmail.com
> À : bill-auger <bill-auger at peers.community>;
>       assist at lists.parabola.nu
> Objet : Re: [Assist] Objet
> Date : 20/10/2017 01:30:30 CEST
> 
> > it seems that you are preferring the realtek-based devices because of
> > the license of the opensource driver in an attempt to reward that
> > company for choosing that license
> 
> Yes I am preferring the realtek-based devices because of the licence
> of the open-source in order to reward the company's work for the
> open-source community.
> 
> > - that is assuming that the
> > manufacturer is the one who wrote the opensource device driver but that
> > is often or usually not the case - many (or most) opensource drivers
> > exist for devices where the manufacture released only a closed-source
> > driver and some programmer who bought the device wrote a linux driver
> > (perhaps for their own use) and then opensourced it - so if this was
> > your thinking then you could as well be regarding the wrong company -
> 
> According to this page:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_open-source_wireless_drivers
> the GPL source code was not written by hackers but by Realtek. Which is
> very good.
> 
> > it would be more reasonable to look at how many devices in the past
> > have been usable with an opensource driver - using that criteria i
> > think there are many more devices that work with the atheros drivers
> > than realtek drivers - that could must mean that atheros chips are more
> > popular though so this may not be good thinking either
> 
> From what I am analysing Qualcomm Atheros is an **opportunist** company:
>   - the latest versions of USB dongles were delivered with proprietary 
> source
> code. So a work of reverse-engineering was done to be able to use the
> device with “free” code from the community
>   - in consequence Qualcomm Atheros only decided in May 2015 to
> “liberate” theirs devices for the next products.
> In consequence I believe Qualcomm Atheros is the wrong company,
> because as you said, they released a closed-source driver and some
> programmer.s. wrote a linux driver and open-sourced it.
> 
> > On Thu 2017-10-19 12:32:22 AM - 192.ejaj at netcmail.com wrote:
> > > in the ISC licence there are "?" so we do not know if it is allowed
> > 
> > if what is allowed? commercial use? - the GPL and most opensource
> > licenses also allow commercial use
> 
> if it is allowed or not for private use. As indicated in the following page:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_free_and_open-source_software_lic
> enses#General_comparison
> we do not know about:
> - Patent grant
> - Private use
> - Sublicensing
> - TM grant
> 
> > the last thing to say is that you answered to the question of "safety"
> > with concerns of "freedom" - these concepts should not be confused -
> > "safety" and "freedom" are not at all the same thing - in fact they are
> > more appropriately viewed as opposite extremes on a spectrum
> 
> Yes, maybe. But for me, a “safe” society is a free society and
> not a “controlled” society as it is wrongly assumed nowadays. That is
> why when you asked me to explain myself about "safety" and in "which
> regards", I talked about freedom and "we should guarantee to the future
> generations that our work today will remain free and libre, available to
> the public domain and why not a commons".
> 
> So at this stage, the “good” libre products are so far:
> - https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-wireless-g-usb-adapter
> - https://h-node.org/wifi/view/en/137/Realtek-RTL8187L--Realtek-Semiconductor
> -Corp--RTL8187-Wireless-Adapter-/1/1/Realtek-Semiconductor-Corp./undef/yes/un
> def/wifi-works/undef
> - https://h-node.org/wifi/view/en/166/-Realtek-Semiconductor-Corp--RTL8187B-W
> ireless-802-11g-54Mbps-Network-Adapter/1/1/Realtek-Semiconductor-Corp./undef/
> yes/undef/wifi-works/undef
> (be careful to not choose the TRENDnet TEW-424UB model)
> But at any case I will try to get a RTL8187[B|L] chipset model after looking 
> the products in the shops within my area.
> 
> Cheers,
> Ejaj
> 
> 
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