“A recent disagreement on the linux-usb-devel mailing list
ultimately led to the removal of the Philips webcam driver known as
‘pwc’. The driver contains two modules, an open source module that
has long been part of the mainline Linux kernel, and a closed
source module which ships separately. Craig Rogers explained on the
lkml that the closed source module ships in object format and
“provides decompression services for proprietary codecs that are
used for higher-resolution modes in some Web cameras based on this
chip family.” A hook in the open-source module allows the
compression module to register with the kernel…”
Related Story:
SMCC.nl:
Linux Support for Philips USB Webcams Discontinued(Aug 27,
2004)