[ale] 3 days of 3+ hrs Comcast Outages!

[Solomon Peachy]

On Tue, Jun 07, 2016 at 05:03:27PM -0400, Chris Fowler wrote:
> > On Tue, Jun 07, 2016 at 01:59:38PM -0400, DJ-Pfulio wrote:
> > > Not all distros include the driver with this USB3-to-ethernet adapter.
> > > Ubuntu Server doesn?t, but the installer and desktop distros do, for
> > > example.
> 
> > That's... just sad.

I was referring to how Ubuntu's installer supported the adapter but 
the server version did not.  (FWIW I suspect you can install a separate 
package to get the missing drivers)

> With pfsense you better read the supported hardware list before you 
> click 'Add to cart' on Amazon! I had to order another adapter.

The rationality behind pfsense is one of the few areas where I disagree 
with the FSF.  For a given identical proprietary firmware blob:

 1) Stored in device ROM == Good
 2) Stored in device Flash without a known way to update == Good
 3) Stored in device Flash with a known way to update == Bad
 4) Stored on system hard disk and sent over at runtime == Morally repugnant

None of those have any bearing on the device's "freedom" -- in all 
cases, the hardware is equally nonfree.  

The only consumer-available system that ever met the FSF's "hardware 
freedom" definition was the original OLPC, only after the wifi firmware 
was reverse-enginerred and replaced with a fully free equivalent.  
Ironically that was only possible because Marvell used mechanism (4) 
with their "nonfree" hardware.

</grumble>

But hey, if the FSF wants to actively strive to make Free Software 
*less* useful by restricting the hardware it can run on, it's their 
call.

</rant>

 - Solomon
-- 
Solomon Peachy        		       pizza at shaftnet dot org
Delray Beach, FL                          ^^ (email/xmpp) ^^
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
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