:) New free software friendly USB N adapter getting closer
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While this might not be of interest to most here (given it's a fairly boring topic) it is a very exciting development for us @ ThinkPenguin. We have been working on this for maybe a year and a half.
All the approvals needed within Qualcomm Atheros to release the source code for the firmware on a newer USB N chipset have gone through. We will thus be manufacturing a new USB N adapter with the AR9271 chipset.
While that much I have posted before the new development is we actually have a few dozen samples to test. It'll still be 3 ½ – 4 months once we initiate the manufacture for the first batch although the fact we finally have something to test is a step forward! Combine that with the approvals from Atheros and it is two steps forward!
What makes this so executing is there are no good USB N chipsets for use in a USB adapter that targets GNU/Linux users. What we currently have available is an earlier chipset that some routers don't like. While this older chipset is still ideal for some use cases over the newer chipset it's not great for the majority of users. In fact we usually recommend an older USB G chipset/adapter for most users at the moment because it is least likely that users will run into a problem.
While there aren't that many USB adapters on the market which are using the same driver/firmware many of those which are will never be ideally suited for free software enthusiasts. The ethical problem is while users are not dependent on any non-free software in GNU/Linux these other adapters are shipping with non-free Microsoft Windows drivers embedded on the cards.
I have about 20 samples for testing. Currently the GPL licensed firmware is NOT yet available even though the approval to release it is all signed off on. The code is currently being cleaned up and will be released under the GPL when it is complete. So.. the adapters don't yet work on Trisquel. They should however be supported once this code is officially released under the appropriate license. They do work in Ubuntu given a recent enough kernel as the distribution is including the firmware under a non-free license.
If there are any users interested in helping us test these adapters under a broader array of conditions please contact me. We have a few dozen available. I'm not 100% sure when we are going to finalize the production of the first large batch although I'm thinking of doing this within the next 3 to 4 weeks. That should give people who are interested in testing them a chance to get one from us and provide feedback. After which it'll be another 3 ½ - -4 months before they go on sale.
Even though we have taken a very strict stance and refuse to use chipsets or otherwise ship hardware dependent on non-free software (where it is at all avoidable-) we have not gotten any of our products certified by the FSF. While many of them could be this will be the first that actually is.
That is an excellent idea :D This may be the solution for my Desktop and my laptops that I can't open due to warranty not expired yet (in order to change the Wireless Chip).
Good job !
(I wanted to propose my help, but since I'm in Europe, this could be difficult for you to control. But no problem I can wait :D).
Just one question, there is something that I didn't get. Who will maintain the driver ? The community or Atheros itself ?
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The code is already been written by Atheros and is available as a non-free binary. This is not acceptable which is why we have been working to get it free'd. Once it is free the community can properly support it. Bugs which crop up can be fixed, improvements made, and so on. There is no longer a reliance on Atheros to do any of this. Atheros has agreed to release it if someone will clean up the code under an NDA. There are a number of outside developers now working on that. There is also a large group of Linux kernel developers that can develop it further and maintain it thereafter.
Please make it affordable cuz I gave my Ralink with non-free drivers to my mom for her Ubuntu box and its annoying to manually make and install firmware blobs with each kernel update.
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It will definitely be available for far less than the current price of either of the USB N adapters in our catalog at the moment. It'll probably be available for around the same price as our current USB G adapter. The goal is to replace the USB N and USB G adapters as the chipsets they are based on are discontinued. We will probably try and maintain at least some stock of the G USB adapter, and likely the older N USB adapter /w external antennas for a numbers of years yet. These older USB dongles have support for the long term support releases and we are committed to making sure that there is hardware available for all officially supported releases.
Once the drivers and firmware are ready, how will you distribute? Will they be added to Debian unstable and also for Ubuntu as a PPA? I say this because even if you get it at the kernel level, users of older Ubuntu releases may not get it as their kernels are incremental and not major.
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It'll only work on the most recent distributions when it is finally released. Our products work out of the box on newer distributions generally speaking and older distributions will simply not work. Either you will upgrade or need to purchase one of the older models. As I said we will have them available for a few more years until the long term support releases are no longer officially supported.
I know that you and TP won't backport for older releases, but even if someone needed it and was willing to play with source code, would it be technically possible?
Also with the jxself linux libre kernel repo up to date with the kernel.org releases, I assume if it does make it to the mainline kernel eventually, then how would that work.for older Trisquel users? Would we have the firmware at the kernel level but then unable to install the driver?
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If you have installed a kernel from here:
http://jxself.org/linux-libre/
Then you should be able to test it as the latest kernels have the driver and ID already. It would just be a matter of installing the firmware:
http://linuxwireless.org/download/htc_fw/1.3/
* Warning: the above firmware is NOT under a free software license yet. Although the code used to make this blob is what will be released under the GPL license. It won't be identical as it is being "cleaned up" for release although as far as I know it is “all” being released.
These are great news. Any chance someone in Brazil could help?
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Absolutely. Send me an email with your address. I'm about to get the directions written for how to get the card working with Trisquel 5.5. It is fairly easy (I think; pretty sure I already tested in in Trisquel or a different card with the same chipset at least).
I'll start sending the samples to people who want to help with testing shortly.
Good! I just sent you an e-mail. :-)
Can I test one as well? I would really like to test it on various distros.
hi,
What's needed exactly for cleaning up code?
Is there a way to get the source code to help cleaning it up?
roughly: I'm not interested in testing the hardware if it doesn't work yet, I'm rather interested in helping freeing the code.
I've a good background in low level/embedded software: I've contributions in the linux kernel, in coreboot, nuttx, I created the Replicant project etc...
However I've no experience at all in wifi, nor in wifi firmwares.
So I'd like to understand if it's a task I can do, and how much time would be needed for it etc...
Denis.
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Unfortunately each of the developers working on it are being required to sign an NDA so it isn't possible for others to help. I think we are OK in this regard anyway. There are a few people who signed up to help. If you really want to help though I'll put you in touch with Luis @ Atheros. Just send me an email.
As far as what it entails I'm not 100% sure. I was wondering that myself although didn't really care enough to ask. Nor did I sign the NDA. It is irrelevant to my involvement. Luis R. Rodriguez is the developer at Qualcomm Atheros who has been advocating for it internally. He has also worked on the AR9170 driver/firmware although hasn't had the time to do the clean up himself for the AR9271/AR7010.
He did a presentation at the Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit 2012 you might be interested. You can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P-r3H0bY8c
I'd like to get the ath3k code released as well for the AR3011/AR3012 Bluetooth chipsets. These are used on Wifi/Bluetooth Mini PCIe Combo Cards. Humorously all the combo cards have a free software drivers/firmware for one or the other chipsets although not both. Fortunately I think we can solve this because the one is Atheros/Atheros combo and while the one is dependent on non-free firmware the company has been very good about releasing the source code for other chipsets (AR9170, AR9271, & AR7010). Not to mention all of the Atheros 802.11n PCIe chipsets (although this is due to there not being non-free firmware required).
I haven't talked to Luis about the ath3k firmware although if we can get legal and everybody to OK it I'd like to solve that issue and remove one more proprietary barrier. Right now we offer a USB bluetooth dongle with a CSR chipset that is free software friendly as a temporary solution.
I sent Chris an email and excited to test it out on various platforms. An adapter like this helps me personally (as stated above) and if it takes off, can really help others.
So once the GNU/Linux drivers are done, are there any plans to release drivers for Windows and/or Mac? I know those are non-free platforms, but a libre piece of wireless hardware is a big deal.
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You don't understand how this works. There is already a driver/firmware available under a non-free license for Microsoft Windows, Mac, and GNU/Linux. I actually don't know there is a driver for Mac although I'm assuming there is. We are only concerned with GNU/Linux and I haven't looked.
“All” that is happening here is the non-free firmware for GNU/Linux is being cleaned up under a non-disclosure agreement by a handful of developers outside of Atheros. Atheros is the company which designed the chipset that we are using in these USB dongles. The reason this is such a big deal is because of the bureaucracy involved in getting access to the code/specs. It has taken several months just to get the code under NDA so that it can be cleaned up. After which Atheros has agreed to release the code under the GPL license. The reason outside developers are doing it is because Atheros isn't willing to put the time, effort, or money into it. Even after the code is available it is going to take another several months before the USB adapters are supported out of the box by free distributions.
There is a 3 ½ month manufacturing time frame too once we initiate the order. It has taken 3-5 months to get samples to test as well.
Oh I know about the existing non-free drivers for Windows and from your response, I'm getting the assumption that its not worth the time and effort to liberate those operating systems at all or until the Linux driver is set and stable.
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Good question. Backing up a moment we don't expend resources on developing support information, drivers, documentation, etc for non-free platforms. The extent of the information we provide on the non-libre site under the best of circumstances is a link to the driver and the versions which are compatible (unsupported by us and this is indicated as such).
Even if you spend $30,000 USD on hardware from us you are not going to get any better support for proprietary platforms. And yes- we have had customers spend that kind of money and inquire about Microsoft Windows later (although fully understanding that we don't provide any kind of real support). The best we are going to do is offer up enough info to say “yes- it is compatible and here are some drivers that we THINK work”. We don't have a single system running Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X in the office. At the moment we don't have any employees with such a system either. And no- we didn't lose that customer. They still routinely purchase from us.
We are not averse to assisting users with issues that are transitional in nature. If you are trying to get off of Microsoft Outlook we aren't going to say “can't help you- come back when your off it”. No. We will try and walk you through or provide information on escaping proprietary software and any such formats you might be locked into.
There are some situations where it makes sense to port free software to non-free platforms. I don't think this is one of them.
Will the firmware allow users to modify their MAC address? A lot of proprietary firmwares restrict this and changing MAC address would be useful for me.
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This isn't a problem. You can choose whatever MAC address you would like.
ifconfig wlanX down
ifconfig wlanX hw ether xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
ifconfig wlanX up
Then just connect. This should do the trick. Your router will see it as whatever address you choose (as long as it is valid).
By the way, what will be the power consumption of this USB wifi key?
500mA? 200mA?
Because if it's low enough it could be used on phones too:
For instance the Replicant 100% free software android distribution doesn't redistribute non-free firmwares, and it's really a problem not to have wifi on such phones, usually what happens is that the people copy the wifi firmwares manually to the phones, tough some people don't do that and have no wifi.
So it would be nice to have a way to have wifi on phones having USB host such as the GTA04, or the galaxy Nexus...
Denis.
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