Thread (5 messages) 5 messages, 4 authors, 2022-10-20

Re: Stockholm syndrome with Linux wireless?

From: Dave Taht <hidden>
Date: 2022-10-20 14:44:42
Also in: linux-wireless, lkml

On Thu, Oct 20, 2022 at 7:34 AM Linus Walleij [off-list ref] wrote:
On Mon, Sep 26, 2022 at 10:20 AM Kalle Valo [off-list ref] wrote:
quoted
Linus Walleij [off-list ref] writes:
quoted
On Thu, Sep 22, 2022 at 3:31 PM Alvin Šipraga [off-list ref] wrote:
quoted
I would also point out that the BCM4359 is equivalent to the
CYW88359/CYW89359 chipset, which we are using in some of our
products. Note that this is a Cypress chipset (identifiable by the
Version: ... (... CY) tag in the version string). But the FW Konrad is
linking appears to be for a Broadcom chipset.
This just makes me think about Peter Robinsons seminar at
LPC last week...
"All types of wireless in Linux are terrible and why the vendors
should feel bad"
https://lpc.events/event/16/contributions/1278/attachments/1120/2153/wireless-issues.pdf
Thanks, this was a good read! I'm always interested about user and
downstream feedback, both good and bad :) But I didn't get the Stockholm
syndrome comment in the end, what does he mean with that?

BTW we have a wireless workshop in netdevconf 0x16, it would be great to
have there a this kind of session discussing user pain points:
I can't go to Lisbon, but my personal pain points are all this:
https://openwrt.org/meta/infobox/broadcom_wifi
and I think I'm not alone, but I can't speak for OpenWrt.

The lack of support in b43 for modern phys such as AC, i.e. the gap
between b43 and brcmfmac, is extremely annoying and turning perfectly
fine aftermarket devices into paperweights because there isn't even
a way to make Broadcoms old proprietary blob work with contemporary
kernels.
+10. I'm a big believer in coping with the present day supply problems with
modern software on perfectly good old routers. To heck with planned
obsolescence.

There are 5.2 billion cellphones turning into e-waste this year, also. The wifi
situation there is also a mess.
If Broadcom could be convinced to either add support for the late b43
variants or at least release documentation for the aftermarket that
would be great.

I suppose they might be coming to the conference so give them my best
regards with a "please fix" tag attached.
Please! A symbol of a rotting raspberry, on their badges, or some
other gentle poke, might work wonders.

I too cannot make it to lisbon. I just burned 9 months of my life
(unpaid, mostly, but a huge thanks to NLNET for covering
half my costs) on helping fix a ton of regressions in the ath10k,
mt76, and ath9k, instead of making forward progress with new stuff.

I can call out the ax210 chips as being especially terrible still.
It's hard to test APs when the client chips
are as bad as that.

I'm very tempted to just buy a one-way ticket to lisbon, join this
wireless emotional support group there, and then find a beach to
retire on, and never think about this part of our field again.

It seems far saner to quit working on wifi and seek out something more
rewarding. Maybe there's some bright light on the horizon for less
binary blobs in wifi7?
Yours,
Linus Walleij


-- 
This song goes out to all the folk that thought Stadia would work:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/dtaht_the-mushroom-song-activity-6981366665607352320-FXtz
Dave Täht CEO, TekLibre, LLC
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