On Thu, Jan 30, 2003 at 11:24:02PM +0100, Torsten Schlabach wrote: > Dear Miernik, > > thank you for the link. I will have a look into it, but I need to say I > am skeptic. The BIOS of such an old computer was 4 KB, maybe 16 KB if it > really was one of the "newer" computers. The driver you sent has about > 260 KB of object code. That will be a disassembler output comparable to > the telephone directory of the city of Berlin.
Fortunately you've got all the symbol information in the module files - the names of all functions, etc. Thus it should be rather easy to understand which function does what. > Anyway ... it's worth having a look. Nevertheless: If anyone has any > developer documentation on programming the B2C2 chip: Please consider > sharing it with me! > > Torsten > > -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- > Von: Miernik [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Im Auftrag von Miernik > Gesendet: Donnerstag, 30. Januar 2003 22:46 > An: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Betreff: [linux-dvb] Re: DVB driver for B2C2 based budget cards (such as > Technisat SkyStar 2) > > On Thu, Jan 30, 2003 at 10:23:06PM +0100, Torsten Schlabach wrote: > > >> In many coutries even disassembling the driver in order to write a > > completely new one is ont illegal EVEN IF the vendors licence > > prohibits disassembling. > > > > Do you know what countries these are or do you have any pointers to > some > > literature on this topic? I think the other part of the story is if > > I've read about this that this law was used to legally disassemble the > BIOS of one of the old computers (it was either Amiga, Amstrad or > Atari - they all begin with A, so I don't remeber which one). > > This was they legally made a machine compatible with the original > computer (the A.... company didn't want to release any > specifications). > > > Aside from legal issues, I am not sure if I think it will be realistic > > to understand the chipset interface from looking at the uncommented > > disassembled code. Anyone has any experience with this? I might be > wrong > > or over-estimate the complexity ?!? > > Surely it is poossible, the question is - in what time :) > I think it is worth it - it would be great to have two different > hardware platforms for GPL Linux based DVB systems. I hate it when > there is only one hardware platform which is possible to use - it's > great to have a choice. And the low price of these cards... > > BTW: I just had a great idea for all GNU community to benefit from: > > There is a bi-directional mailing-list <-> nntp gateway at > http://gmane.org/ > They will offer feeds for anyone who wants in the near future. > > It would be great to take such feed, and: > Buy some bandwith on a satellite service, and transmitt all the groups > multicast, so everyone who has a DVB card and antenna can receive it > without any monthly cost in real time! > > Don't you think this would be great? > There are many users/developers who otherise have to pay money they > can't afford to be online. With such service it will be posibble to > receive all the groups without any uplink (however they will need > uplink to post - but that is small cost, because you read much more > than post). > > I have looked at the statistics, and all the groups there take only 11 > kbps in total, it will be probably a little larger when new groups are > added, so a 16 kbps will be enough. It should not cost more than 100 > EUR monthly to multicast that. And one multicast would supply it all > for whole Europe. A second multicast on a different satellite would be > needed for America, and maybe a third one for Asia. We could look for > some sponsor, or even collect money from GNU users and developers, for > example 1 EUR monthly for each user. The fee would not be mandatory, > but I am sure that there would eaisly be 100 people who would pay > 1 EUR monthly for this service to run. > > What do you think? Ability to receive all mailing lists in real-time > for 1 EUR monthly? > > > I�ve heard that, but please, where is it? > > http://www.esat.pl/files/dvb/technisat/b2c2_install_base.tgz > > -- > Miernik > ____________________________________________________ > ___ ICQ: 4004001 ___/___ tel.: +48608233394 ___/ > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > No Iraq war > http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/iraq/invadeIraq082702.html > Please call the White House +1-202-456-1111 or fax +1-202-456-2461 and > say no! > > > > -- > Info: > To unsubscribe send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe linux-dvb" as >subject. -- Vojtech Pavlik SuSE Labs -- Info: To unsubscribe send a mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with "unsubscribe linux-dvb" as subject.
