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From: Russell Nelson <nelson@crynwr.com>
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Date: Wed,  4 Oct 2000 11:22:07 -0400 (EDT)
To: discuss@linmodems.org
Subject: Re: Conexant/Rockwell HCF Modem
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Maxime Guillaud writes:
 > So giving away their driver code would be giving away most of their
 > work for free. They're not much concerned about the end user
 > reading the code, but they definitely don't want their competitors
 > to !

I've spoken to several modem manufacturers, and that's not their
concern.  They're concerned about holomogulation (country-specific
code in their drivers), and certification.  They're afraid that the
certifying bodies will give them a hard time if they release source.
The modem is certified as a system -- hardware and software together.
If the software is modifiable, it won't be certified, and won't be
legal to connect to a telephone system.  Also, most codecs are
patented, and the concept of per-copy licensing fees, and freely
copyable software are incompatible.

-- 
-russ nelson <sig@russnelson.com>  http://russnelson.com | A hate crime makes
Crynwr sells support for free software  | PGPok | it illegal to think certain
521 Pleasant Valley Rd. | +1 315 268 1925 voice | thoughts.  The crime is
Potsdam, NY 13676-3213  | +1 315 268 9201 FAX   | itself already a crime.