Open source pressure is free

Intel is under pressure right now. Its high-priced PR machine is under assault.

From a letter. That's right, a letter.

The letter, from OpenBSD founder Theo de Raadt, demands documentation and greater distribution rights over a binary blob in Intel's Pro/Wireless drivers (ipw3945) which enforces compliance with FCC regulations. Damian Bergiami has written a blob-free replacement driver, and called the Intel driver poorly-written.

Why not just ship the replacement driver? He says they're hiding proprietary code in the blob, using FCC rules as a pretext to break their promises to the open source community.

So de Raadt, who has a reputation for bluntness, now calls Intel "an open source fraud." Dem's fightin' words.

Not being a binary code programmer I can't speak to the substance of de Raadt's charge. But I find it interesting how, without really spending a dime, the OpenBSD folks have used their own credibility to take a bite out of a big vendor's.

This speaks to many differences the Internet and open source have made in the business environment. A "PR campaign" can now be an e-mail. The credibility of the author determines the power of the campaign. The response of a proprietary vendor is limited. It is, in fact, a binary code -- they either give-in or stand firm.

The ability of open source leaders to put pressure on vendors represents real power. Is it enough to make vendors back down? Is it, perhaps, too much? We report, yadda-yadda-yadda.