Linux's Sole Wireless/WiFi Driver Maintainer Is Stepping Down - Phoronix
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They were doing this all by themselves?!
That explains many things
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They were doing this all by themselves?!
Well, "maintainer" is usually a single person job. They didn't write all the code or whatever, just were the gatekeeper to what got added and making sure shit works.
So I mean, it's not great nobody is stepping up, but it's also not like they magiced up the entirety of linux's wifi support single handed, either.
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They were doing this all by themselves?!
Obligatory XKCD: https://xkcd.com/2347/
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They were doing this all by themselves?!
The article isn't entirely clear. I get the impression that the person in question may have been the sole maintainer for some hardware-agnostic parts of the wireless stack (which I'd expect to only need active development when a new standard gets greenlighted; should be bugfixes the rest of the time), co-maintainer of the drivers for some atheros chipsets, and the general oversight/coordination guy, but there are other developers working on specific drivers.
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WiFi is a fad anyways.
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I used to daily drive Ubuntu some years ago for work/personal use but have been back on Win 10 primarily for the last 4-5 years. I was considering trying to go back due to how much Windows sucks (despite some proprietary software only being available on it) but remembering the trouble I had with some networking/printer drivers and troubleshooting those issues and then seeing this article Is definitely making me reconsider..
Wireless drivers are in a lot better state than they used to be, printer drivers are very dependent on the brand you have.
IME (YMMV) Brother printers seem to consistently work quite well and Epson printers seem to consistently be shit.
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WiFi is a fad anyways.
WiMax gang rise up
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I used to daily drive Ubuntu some years ago for work/personal use but have been back on Win 10 primarily for the last 4-5 years. I was considering trying to go back due to how much Windows sucks (despite some proprietary software only being available on it) but remembering the trouble I had with some networking/printer drivers and troubleshooting those issues and then seeing this article Is definitely making me reconsider..
I haven't seen Wireless driver issues in years. Any non arcane devices have drivers and most distros enable most of them in their kernel.
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Ethernet cable intensifies
Ethernet is a layer 2 protocol. It can run on many different mediums and cable types.
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Wireless drivers are in a lot better state than they used to be, printer drivers are very dependent on the brand you have.
IME (YMMV) Brother printers seem to consistently work quite well and Epson printers seem to consistently be shit.
Literally have the opposite experience. Fought with my old Brother printer constantly. My Epson Ecotank is rock-solid.
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Is it the new cool thing for Linux maintainers to step down?
Third time I’ve seen it recently…
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I haven't seen Wireless driver issues in years. Any non arcane devices have drivers and most distros enable most of them in their kernel.
Just built a brand new linux desktop, no wifi dongles work in it.
If I want wifi i need specifically order from this company.
I'm gonna be so sad if this doesn't work
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Is it the new cool thing for Linux maintainers to step down?
Third time I’ve seen it recently…
It's demographics. Linux contributors & maintainers skew heavily to the older end of the spectrum (and, although not relevant to this point, also skew heavily male).
People who can contribute time to a project for free tend to be older because they are financially and career settled by the time they hit 50s. Raising a family tends not to leave a lot of spare time.
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Ethernet is a layer 2 protocol. It can run on many different mediums and cable types.
But can it run over wet string, though?
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WiFi is a fad anyways.
I need to get some Meshtastic modules...
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Ethernet cable intensifies
I hope they invent wireless ethernet
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Literally have the opposite experience. Fought with my old Brother printer constantly. My Epson Ecotank is rock-solid.
I've used Epson and Brother printers without issue, though I suppose things could change on a per-model basis or over time.
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And this is how I see Linux quickly unravelling and planned insecurities creeping in over the next decade or so.
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But can it run over wet string, though?
I bet you can run 10base2 over it
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https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/14/youngsters_in_foss/
Read this a few days ago and it feels pretty relevant here.
