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[News] OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 releasedANN.lu
Posted on 09-Feb-2003 19:31 GMT by Benjamin Vernoux (Titan) (Edited on 2003-02-09 23:52:34 GMT by Christophe Decanini)41 comments
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On the OpenPCI Project WWW Page (in English only):
OpenPCI library 1.0 released
openpci_8139.device 1.0 released (Fast Ethernet(10/100Mb) driver) The OpenPCI library is a wrapper for use lot of PCI Bus on :

Amiga/Amithlon/Pegasos (GrexA1200/A4000 (require cybpci.library), Prometheus (require prometheus.library v2.x), Amithlon (require powerpci.library v1.76), Pegasos (require Pegasos+MorphOS)).

The OpenPCI library 1.0 is officialy released for public, with a Fast Ethernet (10/100Mb) driver : openpci_8139.device v1.0 is for Realtek RTL8139 B/C/D/E chipset. Tested with Miami/MiamiDX.

Only the 68k version of OpenPCI library is released but soon the native PPC MOS version will be available with native MOS PPC 8139 device.
OpenPCI Project WWW Page (in English only)

OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 1 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Lasse Bodilsen on 09-Feb-2003 20:44 GMT
Sweeeet!. nice to see this project getting the support it deserves from a lot of developers.

shame about the Mediator status though.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 2 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Anonymous on 09-Feb-2003 23:20 GMT
In reply to Comment 1 (Lasse Bodilsen):
>shame about the Mediator status though.

What are you talking about?

All drivers planned for OpenPCI are available for Mediator since long time. It seems that this OpenPCI project is the attempt to copy some of the Mediator drivers for other systems.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 3 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by darklite on 09-Feb-2003 23:24 GMT
In reply to Comment 2 (Anonymous):
>What are you talking about?
>
>All drivers planned for OpenPCI are available for Mediator since long time. It
>seems that this OpenPCI project is the attempt to copy some of the Mediator
>drivers for other systems.

You haven't got a clue, have you?
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 4 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Christophe Decanini on 10-Feb-2003 03:47 GMT
I just want to congratulate the people who still do something with their Amiga.
This openPCI initiative is a great one. Why would re-invent the wheel X times ?
People should spent more time betatesting such product instead of spending time reading some other useless posts.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 5 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by reflect on 10-Feb-2003 07:50 GMT
In reply to Comment 3 (darklite):
instead of insulting him, wouldn't it be better to enlighten him and tell him why there are no openpci drivers for mediator?
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 6 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Kjetil on 10-Feb-2003 08:14 GMT
Way not rename it to OpenEthernet, OpenPCI is so misleading sound more driver for transparent PCI layer driver. Way not call it openjoystick while you are at it. :)
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 7 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Kjetil on 10-Feb-2003 08:20 GMT
In reply to Comment 6 (Kjetil):
Oh, I’m trolling shit.. okey it an Ethernet driver and PCI driver is that it?
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 8 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by joe on 10-Feb-2003 08:26 GMT
In reply to Comment 6 (Kjetil):
Why? Because it's exactly that: An open PCI library providing open info on how to write a pci driver for that library with an example/demo in the form of an RTL8139 ethernet SANA-2 device (!?) while it gives you a perfect abstraction to the hardware for platforms like Amiga computers, Amithlon and Pegasos.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 9 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Anon on 10-Feb-2003 08:39 GMT
The Name OPENpci is wrong, better ClosePCI.
No OS4 Support forced by bplan. thx bplan
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 10 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by alan buxey on 10-Feb-2003 09:05 GMT
OpenPCI is a nice idea - and its really what we would want ALL
PCI BUSes on all 'Amiga' platforms to be using......however,
I fear that with all the nasty politics, back stabbing and general
bad behaviour in this 'community' that it wont take off as it deserves
as you cant run it on Mediator (thanks Elbox) and it seems that theres
even more (and newer) shenanigans with bplan and some os4 clause (anyone
care to enlighten me on this ? :-( )

yes, Mediator has a PCI library and Realtek driver....but thats not the
point of OpenPCI. the point of OpenPCI is that only ONE driver
needs to be written for a PCI device...and then the HAL of OpenPCI will
allow that one single piece of hard work to run on ALL the supported
PCI BUSes. its a good vision, and the best solution.

alan
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 11 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Jedi on 10-Feb-2003 09:53 GMT
In reply to Comment 9 (Anon):
> The Name OPENpci is wrong, better ClosePCI.
> No OS4 Support forced by bplan. thx bplan

The answer is simple : no OS4, no OpenPCI possible...
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 12 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Bill Hoggett on 10-Feb-2003 09:56 GMT
In reply to Comment 10 (alan buxey):
Agreed. The idea was always a good one, and it was unfortunately always going to be vehemently opposed by the likes of Elbox. (According to Elbox, it seems that no one else in the Amiga community is capable of writing a driver, so any solutions that provide functionality which rivals that of Elbox products are bound to be pirated from Elbox' own material.)

As to the lack of OS4 support, unless someone is a position of authority can confirm that bplan have imposed conditions on their contribution, I'd say the reality is that since OS4 is not yet available and there is no developer documentation, it is hardly reasonable to expect OpenPCI to support it. When OS4 is released and documentation made available, THEN it will be time for people to start asking for OpenPCI support.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 13 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Lando on 10-Feb-2003 10:17 GMT
In reply to Comment 9 (Anon):
>The Name OPENpci is wrong, better ClosePCI.
>No OS4 Support forced by bplan. thx bplan

Sell your dodgy G-Rex and get a decent PCI busboard :)
(Mediator)
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 14 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Benjamin Vernoux on 10-Feb-2003 11:07 GMT
In reply to Comment 2 (Anonymous):
I think you haven't understand the concept of an OpenPCI API, my drivers are available and FREE for users.

And for reply to your "insult" saying i have copied Mediator driver it's totally wrong !!.

For all my drivers i use datasheets and all driver code is my own code.
I will upload all this new datasheets on my WWW site soon.

PS: Why are you anonymous are you afraid to reveal your name ?
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 15 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Benjamin Vernoux on 10-Feb-2003 11:13 GMT
In reply to Comment 10 (alan buxey):
Yes it's exactly the idea of the project.

But it seems some people haven't understand this
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 16 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by redrumloa on 10-Feb-2003 11:37 GMT
Darn!! That means busmastering really is working on Prometheus now and I sold mine! This OpenPCI concept is just what the Prometheus needs to get it some more drivers. I've always said given a few more drivers IMO it's the best solution on the market.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 17 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by darklite on 10-Feb-2003 14:22 GMT
In reply to Comment 5 (reflect):
>instead of insulting him, wouldn't it be better to enlighten him and tell him
>why there are no openpci drivers for mediator?

I recognise the type of troll we're dealing with here... it's far more productive to just ignore him than trying to educate him.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 18 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Neil Cafferkey on 10-Feb-2003 17:48 GMT
The project web page says "Open Source driver project for Amiga/Amithlon/Pegasos PCI Bus", but I don't see any source code. The rest of the web page doesn't suggest that the project is very "Open" (eg. having to apply by e-mail to get the NDK).
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 19 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by alan buxey on 10-Feb-2003 18:48 GMT
In reply to Comment 18 (Neil Cafferkey):
having to email to get the NDK doesnt make the project 'not OPEN'.

by definition of open source, you can get the source code...by asking.

usually projects put the sources into FTP or CVS...but some of them do
just email you the code.

now, the main question IS....is this program running under GPL...or is it justy 'Open source' - as in shared source/readable source (BIG difference)

alan
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 20 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Anonymous on 10-Feb-2003 20:44 GMT
In reply to Comment 17 (darklite):
"troll"

You just proved the "takes one to know one" theory without even thinking about it , well done and have a gold star.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 21 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Rat on 10-Feb-2003 20:51 GMT
In reply to Comment 14 (Benjamin Vernoux):
>I think you haven't understand the concept of an OpenPCI API,
>my drivers are available and FREE for users.
>
>And for reply to your "insult" saying i have copied Mediator
>driver it's totally wrong !!.
>
>For all my drivers i use datasheets and all driver code is
>my own code.

If you started writing PCI drivers ON YOUR OWN so why are you writing them only to the chipsets to which Elbox already made them available?

If you were writing a FastEthernet driver, why haven't you done it for the 3COM FastEthernet chipset, but for RTL 8139? Elbox made drivers for Mediator for RTL 8139 available over a year ago!

The only drivers to sound cards which you are planning are SB128 and FM801 drivers. These chipsets are already supported in Mediator!

It looks like Elbox were right:
You signed NDA with them and you got the MediatorSDK developer's documentation for writing new drivers for Mediator.
But what you are doing? Instead of writing any NEW drivers you are trying to spread away the current Mediator drivers to other PCI solutions.

Why are you wondering Elbox think you are a thief?

Think about the situation if you were an AmigaOS4 developer.
You would sign an NDA and get developer's materials. Then, when the AmigaOS4 is already on sale, you would announce you are writing another AmigaOS4, but your own.
The point would be that your OpenAmigaOS4 would run in AmigaOne and in Pegasos. And, sure, you would give away OpenAmigaOS4 for free for Pegasos users.

Amiga Inc. and Hyperion would give you a fortune for that ;-)
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 22 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Alkis Tsapanidis on 10-Feb-2003 21:10 GMT
In reply to Comment 21 (Rat):
Excuse me? His RTL driver was developed so that all solutions have an RTL 8139
driver. I know it's his code better than you might possibly do. The Fortemedia
801 TEST driver was developed BEFORE Elbox made their own, only G-Rex supported
that card.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 23 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Alkis Tsapanidis on 10-Feb-2003 21:12 GMT
In reply to Comment 22 (Alkis Tsapanidis):
BTW, the RTL driver has been working for a *VERY* long time, I've been testing
it since the first betas. Heh, next thing you'll tell me is that he stole Elbox'
code with his OHCI USB driver for Poseidon... which is being worked on for a
longer time than Elbox was not even DREAMING about Poseidon.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 24 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Alkis Tsapanidis on 10-Feb-2003 21:17 GMT
In reply to Comment 23 (Alkis Tsapanidis):
PS: There was a working RTL 8139 driver for the G-Rex before Elbox released
their own, it was never released to end-users.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 25 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Bill Hoggett on 10-Feb-2003 22:09 GMT
In reply to Comment 21 (Rat):
What a sad idiotic moron you are!

Ever asked yourself _why_ Elbox chose to develop the drivers they did?

Because the documentation is easily available for free, that's why!! Ergo, that same reason is why everyone else is developing the same drivers.

If you can get all the documentation off 3Com, for nothing, be my guest!

Elbox produced the first drivers. Great. That doesn't give them a patent for ALL Amiga drivers for those cards. Perhaps their cries of "foul" would carry more credence if they actually paid the developers *THEY* ripped off, like the Picasso96 team. :(
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 26 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Adam Kowalczyk on 10-Feb-2003 23:43 GMT
In reply to Comment 25 (Bill Hoggett):
"If you can get all the documentation off 3Com, for nothing, be my guest!"

I've not had any trouble getting documentation from 3Com before. All they require is an email address and the reason you want the documentation.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 27 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Joël EHRET on 11-Feb-2003 06:37 GMT
In reply to Comment 21 (Rat):
For your information i've been betatesting FM801 code for Benjamin vernoux for around year for now.... and ...oh elbox fm801 driver is available since a week... if you look at openpci website... you'll see that the ethernet driver is available for the beta version of open pci since june 2001... so stop spreading bullshit when youdon't know what you're taking about...
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 28 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Rat on 11-Feb-2003 08:28 GMT
In reply to Comment 23 (Alkis Tsapanidis):
If cloning a FastEthernet driver lasted much more than *a year*, Openpci USB OHCI drivers will be ready in long long years, if at all, so there is nothing to talk about.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 29 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Rat on 11-Feb-2003 08:31 GMT
In reply to Comment 25 (Bill Hoggett):
>What a sad idiotic moron you are!

Thank you for compliments. I am so glad to be in contact with a person of such high moral standards, capable of communication with respect and dignity...

>Ever asked yourself _why_ Elbox chose to develop the drivers they did?
>Because the documentation is easily available for free, that's why!!
>Ergo, that same reason is why everyone else is developing the same drivers. \

You know nothing about what you are writing here.
Documentation is not the point.
The pint is that cloning a driver, which is already written and complete, is nothing when you compare work and effort needed for writing a driver from the scratch.

>If you can get all the documentation off 3Com, for nothing, be my guest!

It took me two minutes to find the complete developer documentation for all 3COM 100Mbps NIC chipsets in www.3com.com.

>Elbox produced the first drivers. Great. That doesn't give them
>a patent for ALL Amiga drivers for those cards. Perhaps their cries
>of "foul" would carry more credence if they actually paid the developers

Thinking missing... you have got an error in your hardware or software?

Do you think these drivers and updates which we receive from Elbox come from the blue? Elbox is making available new drivers all the time and this proves they care for their developers!

>*THEY* ripped off, like the Picasso96 team. :(

Picasso ripped themselves off by not supporting their users.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 30 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Kelly Samel on 11-Feb-2003 11:31 GMT
Well I think this is a great project. We really
need one driver system for PCI instead of
several conflicting efforts each with their own
drivers. The more things that can share drivers and
be compatible with one another the better. I
think OpenPCI should be embraced by everyone if
it is "open source" and quality system.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 31 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Bill Hoggett on 11-Feb-2003 11:42 GMT
In reply to Comment 29 (Rat):
> Thank you for compliments.

You're welcome.

> I am so glad to be in contact with a person of such high moral
> standards, capable of communication with respect and dignity...

What I'm capable of is one thing, and what I think your post deserves is another.

> You know nothing about what you are writing here.

I don't. The question is: do you?

> Documentation is not the point.

It isn't?

> The pint is that cloning a driver, which is already written and complete,
> is nothing when you compare work and effort needed for writing a driver
> from the scratch.

And you have PROOF that this driver is a clone (i.e. a copy) of the Elbox driver, yes? If so, please provide this proof for us all to see. After all, you wouldn't want to be accused of making false and baseless accusations, now would you?

> It took me two minutes to find the complete developer documentation for
> all 3COM 100Mbps NIC chipsets in www.3com.com.

OK. Bad example. However, since Elbox have proved incapable of writing such a driver so far, and since no one else has produced one either, it would seem there may be technical reasons why no 3Com support has been achievable for the Amiga platform.

> Thinking missing... you have got an error in your hardware or software?

Huh? Please try to be coherent. It's so tiresome trying to make sense of random gibberish.

> Do you think these drivers and updates which we receive from Elbox come
> from the blue? Elbox is making available new drivers all the time and
> this proves they care for their developers!

So? They care for the developers _THEY_ can profit from. Period. Since the whole concept of OpenPCI is alient to Elbox policy and marketing, no wonder they vehemently opposed it and got people like you to accuse the authors of IP theft.

>>*THEY* ripped off, like the Picasso96 team. :(
>
> Picasso ripped themselves off by not supporting their users.

Picasso don't support Elbox users because (a) Elbox users are not registered and (b) it would mean supporting Elbox who are the only hardware company who have refused to comply with the clear P96 requirement that any hardware that ships with Picasso96 drivers _must_ be licensed, not to mention the P96 development kit license. Even Amithlon shipped with a P96 license, and they didn't even make hardware. Why do Elbox think they are exempt?

Elbox apologists seem to be everywhere, like all those who said anyone who exposed their policy of hiding trojans in their software must be a pirate. Now everyone who produces a rival product is a pirate, be it software or hardware.

Elbox may have done a lot for the Amiga in being the first to develop and supply PCI solutions, and they may have been the best at supporting their solutions too, but that doesn't change the fact that their policies stink of dishonesty and greed. You think they care about anyone in the Amiga community or the Amiga platform itself? Bollox. Elbox only care about Elbox. The minute they lose their lead as hardware expansion providers they will drop it like a hot potato, and stick two fingers up at any of their users who complain about their loyalty being betrayed.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 32 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Alkis Tsapanidis on 11-Feb-2003 11:44 GMT
In reply to Comment 28 (Rat):
I've been USING that driver for some months... Even before Elbox released their
own RDB-Eating USB drivers.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 33 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Alkis Tsapanidis on 11-Feb-2003 11:48 GMT
In reply to Comment 32 (Alkis Tsapanidis):
BTW, Elbox mentioned in the CGX vs Elbox case that their drivers are written in
ASM. I can assure you that Titan's driver is in C:)
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 34 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Chris Hodges on 11-Feb-2003 12:48 GMT
In reply to Comment 25 (Bill Hoggett):
Hey, Bill & Alkis, I don't think there is any sense in fighting senseless
battles with somebody who refuses to use his brain. I guess it's easier
to leave Mr. Szczurek alone in his imaginary world of black & white
mentality. I've been through the same process with the USB driver issue,
and sometimes, it's not worth any single line of rational arguments.
Do not feed the trolls.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 35 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by luft Mysza :) on 11-Feb-2003 16:41 GMT
In reply to Comment 29 (Rat):
Exuse me Mr. Dulian, or maby Mr. Smietana why don't You use your own name inasted of that "Rat" handle? Just write Elbox...
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 36 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Rat on 11-Feb-2003 23:02 GMT
In reply to Comment 31 (Bill Hoggett):
>OK. Bad example. However, since Elbox have proved incapable
>of writing such a driver so far, and since no one else has
>produced one either, it would seem there may be technical
>reasons why no 3Com support has been achievable for the
>Amiga platform.

So, until Elbox writes a driver, you take it for granted that Elbox is not capable of writing such a driver? And there is no point in writing such a driver? Very comfortable, congratulations... Let Elbox write drivers, and when they are available, the OpenPCI author will rewrite them to other PCI solutions.

The best thing is that the OpenPCI author signed NDA with Elbox and got the MediatorSDK developer's documentation for writing new drivers for Mediator.
But what he is doing now? Instead of writing any NEW drivers he is trying to spread away the current Mediator drivers to other PCI solutions, which are not supported by their producer. BTW. As VGR posted today the Prometheus designer and programmer informed that he would not work any more on any drivers to his PCI solution.

>So? They care for the developers _THEY_ can profit from. Period.

It's rather normal that they care for these developers, who write drivers for Mediator and not for these, who do nothing for Mediator users.

>Picasso don't support Elbox users because
>(a) Elbox users are not registered and

And what about the users who are registered?

>(b) it would mean supporting Elbox who are the only hardware company
>who have refused to comply with the clear P96 requirement that any
>hardware that ships with Picasso96 drivers _must_ be licensed, not
>to mention the P96 development kit license.

1. Elbox does not produce any hardware on which Picasso works (any graphic card).
2. Elbox is the only one company, which did not use help of the P96 team and wrote on its own drivers to Voodoo cards, which work with P96 system.
3. Picasso 'must_ be licensed' requirement is illegal.
4. Elbox doesn't distribute the P96 system.

>Even Amithlon shipped with a P96 license, and they didn't even make
>hardware. Why do Elbox think they are exempt?

Amithlon is a software package including the complete Picasso96 system. Why should anyone wonder that the P96 authors receive money from sales of the Amithlon package?

>Elbox apologists seem to be everywhere, like all those who said
>anyone who exposed their policy of hiding trojans in their software
>must be a pirate.

You cannot doubt that the person who published this code was dealing with pirating and hacking Elbox driver.

>Elbox only care about Elbox. The minute they lose their lead
>as hardware expansion providers they will drop it like a hot potato,
>and stick two fingers up at any of their users who complain about
>their loyalty being betrayed.

You have mixed up something.
Dropping potatoes are all these companies who tried to compete with Elbox. This may be the reason for aggression in their competitors or former competitors.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 37 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Rat on 11-Feb-2003 23:08 GMT
In reply to Comment 34 (Chris Hodges):
It is your black and white world: Elbox is black for you and you think you are white. You think you are entitled to offending them and at the same time get benefits from their work. Easy philosophy... To me you are simple infantile.

BTW. I can't remember allowing you to publicize my personal data. In my country such behaviour of the sellers is punishable. It looks like publishing personal data of third persons is a rule in the circles of morphos followers...
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 38 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Rat on 11-Feb-2003 23:10 GMT
In reply to Comment 35 (luft Mysza :)):
I've nothing to do with Elbox.
Yes, I bought a lot of hardware from them and I am happy with it.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 39 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Iggy Drougge on 12-Feb-2003 06:27 GMT
Please, Mr. Rat (if that is your real name), could you tell us in which way the OpenPCI author has made use of Elbox intellectual property? Are you implying that he disassembled the Elbox driver source code?
Sounds like a waste of time, considering that the programming specs for the Realtek cards are public (and thus more readable than a disassembly) and that the Elbox drivers are aimed solely at Mediator hardware (which makes implementation on an open library so much harder). You could just as well be blaming Linux programmers for "using" Elbox.
And this driver, I think we can all agree on that, *is* written from scratch, just like Elbox's. Elbox weren't the first ever to write a Realtek NIC driver (though perhaps on the Amiga/Mediator platform) either. It's written from scratch, just like Elbox's.
Besides, OpenPCI would work on Mediators as well, only Elbox is getting in the way of that. That isn't in the interest of the platform as a whole.

As for the choice of a Realtek card, I suppose that that would be for the same reasons that Elbox choose to write their driver. It's cheap and cheerful, unlike 3Com cards. Of course, they're so absolutely hideous that they don't really deserve to be called 100 Mb cards, but that's beside the point. I, too, would rather he'd written a driver for a 3Com or DEC card, but then cheap bastards wouldn't be able to buy it at the hardware shop (the kind of shop which sells hammers and screwdrivers) at a ridiculously low price and claim that they had a 100 Mb card.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 40 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Alkis Tsapanidis on 13-Feb-2003 11:39 GMT
In reply to Comment 36 (Rat):
The best thing is that the OpenPCI author signed NDA with Elbox and got the MediatorSDK developer's documentation for writing new drivers for Mediator.
But what he is doing now? Instead of writing any NEW drivers he is trying to spread away the current Mediator drivers to other PCI solutions, which are not supported by their producer. BTW. As VGR posted today the Prometheus designer and programmer informed that he would not work any more on any drivers to his PCI solution.
--

Do you know anything about that case? The only card OpenPCi supported when it's
development was started was the Mediator. It was made so anyone can make drivers
for it or any other PCi busboard. Apparently Elbox didn't want that as anyone
could make free drivers while they sell them themselves. So they blocked him
and even said that they'll sue him. So, he just released without Mediator
support. About the sound card drivers... It was NOT Elbox that first released
a Fortemedia 801 driver... It was DCE... CyFM coded one. Can you say that Elbox
stole DCE? :) Can you say that Titan spreads a DCE driver to other cards?
(prometheus and amithlon) :).
The same is true for the RTL8139 driver, there WAS one by DCE but was never
released to end-users, many beta-testers had it, including Titan. That was
before Elbox released their "MM"CD.
OpenPCI 1.0 and OpenPCI 8139 Device 1.0 released : Comment 41 of 41ANN.lu
Posted by Alkis Tsapanidis on 13-Feb-2003 11:41 GMT
In reply to Comment 37 (Rat):
This "MorphOS troll" is the only reason you have USB and he can easily block
you from doing it if he wants to, so shut up.
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