Stop Microsoft

Operating Systems => Linux and UNIX => Topic started by: suselinux on 23 October 2003, 12:00

Title: Linux can use MS drivers
Post by: suselinux on 23 October 2003, 12:00
web page (http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=12207)

 
quote:
 Montreal, Canada -- it is called "DriverLoader" and created by Linuxant Inc. Simply put, it is a revolutionary "compatibility wrapper" allowing standard Windows NDIS 5.0 drivers (the network driver standard used by Windows and on an earlier spec revision by OS/2 too) as shipped by hardware vendors for windows users to be used as-is on Linux x86 systems as well.

Driverloader immediately gives Linux users the ability to use network cards "for which no adequate native open source drivers are available" -the company claims. The company has currently released a technology "demo" that allows owners of 802.11g 54mbps Wireless LAN devices (CardBus and PCI) based on Broadcom chipsets to use their devices under Linux.



 
quote:
Currently, and apparently for a limited time, DriverLoader packages can be downloaded and a free trial licence obtained from Linuxant's web site at no cost. It supports the most popular 2.4 and 2.6 kernel based distros like RedHat, SuSE, Mandrake, and Debian.



Linuxant download site (https://www.linuxant.com/store/account_login.php)
Title: Linux can use MS drivers
Post by: Master of Reality on 23 October 2003, 17:09
sounds interestingly devious.
Title: Linux can use MS drivers
Post by: Commander on 23 October 2003, 20:18
interesting article.  wondering though, when the projects are done, will they be able to emulate all win32 drivers or will they be emulating only drivers in a certain category (printer, video etc)
Title: Linux can use MS drivers
Post by: hm_murdock on 23 October 2003, 21:26
how does it use Windows video drivers?

wouldn't that require the OS has an integral graphic framework?

no, they didn't figure out how to make X11 use a modern driver architecture
Title: Linux can use MS drivers
Post by: Laukev7 on 24 October 2003, 01:10
Now, if they could do that on OS X, THAT would be great.
Title: Linux can use MS drivers
Post by: preacher on 24 October 2003, 01:24
quote:
Originally posted by Laukev7: Has half Macman's posts:
Now, if they could do that on OS X, THAT would be great.


Why is that? I thought Apple provided a full load of well supported hardware. Why would anyone want to emulate the shitty windows drivers, especially on OS X?
Title: Linux can use MS drivers
Post by: Laukev7 on 24 October 2003, 01:31
quote:
Why is that? I thought Apple provided a full load of well supported hardware. Why would anyone want to emulate the shitty windows drivers, especially on OS X?


I'm glad to hear that, I intend to switch soon.