Netgear now touting open source WRT-compatible wireless router

[Bill McGonigle]

On Jul 1, 2008, at 19:54, Alex Hewitt wrote:

> I just read the End User License Agreement that came with one of my
> customer's Juniper Networks Netscreen appliances and it basically has
> the same "nontransferable  rights" clause that Cisco uses. Same deal,
> you can't sell your used Netscreen appliance to another user and have
> them use the software that came with it. They need to buy their own
> license.


Oh, but it gets better.  If that Cisco box hasn't been on a  
maintenance contract, you have to have it tested and recertified by  
an authorized VAR before you can buy a new maintenance contract on it  
so you can then buy the IOS image.  Cisco is like Microsoft except  
their stuff usually works correctly the first time you set it up and  
then runs forever.

Contrast with HP: download firmware updates from the website.   
Hardware can be slightly more expensive up front, and they've only  
gotten really solid for things like VLAN's in the past couple years.

BTW, here's the best OpenVPN "book":
   http://doc.pfsense.org/index.php/VPN_Capability_OpenVPN

And, FWIW, I've got a couple dozen WRT-54G[S,L,v4,v3,v2]* units in  
the field and the only one that's failed had taken a lightning  
strike.  My oldest one is now 5 years old, so at $50-ish, I owe them  
nothing.

Say, if anybody's seen a small (vs. a standard PC stuffed full of PCI  
cards) a/b/g/n unit that can handle the openwrt-ish open firmwares,  
please let me know.  Apparently, since the Aussies shut down Buffalo  
in patent court they don't exist.

-Bill

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