Re: [Libusbx-devel] Microsoft has apparently enabled WinUSB WCID for Windows 7 through Windows Update

[Pete B. <pe...@ak...>]

On 2012.07.13 11:48, Xiaofan Chen wrote:
> But then the
> problem is that I am not 100% sure if you can get WHQL for a
> class of USB device (no specific VID/PID). It seems to be a
> reserved privilege of Microsoft.

Well, the Windows *Phone* division of Microsoft certainly took that 
privilege to themselves, without apparent consideration on whether other 
WinUSB WCID devices might actually want to see the driver provider set 
as "Windows Phone" for all WinUSB WCID devices.

Also, what if a company simply declares that a specific compatible ID 
should be reserved for their product because it makes more sense for 
them to use that than a list of VID:PIDs (which requires updating the 
inf and re-submitting a driver package to WU every time they introduce a 
new device).

Say Apple decides they want to provide their own customized driver for 
iPod devices through Windows Update in order to avoid asking users to 
install iTunes for the driver part, and settle on using the 
USB\MS_COMP_APPLE compatible ID. Should Microsoft refuse on the grounds 
that somebody else may also want to use MS_COMP_APPLE?

I doubt Microsoft will. But then, how is this different from us, or 
someone affiliated with us, reserving MS_COMP_LIBUSBK or MS_COMP_LIBUSB0 
as the matching hardware ID for the inf, especially as it is unlikely 
that anybody who isn't working with us will want to use those? The 
Windows Phone division have now set a precedent for compatible IDs in 
WHQL submissions being fair game, and I fail to see why, because we're 
Open Source, we should not be entitled to the kind of privileges that 
Microsoft would probably have no trouble granting to big players.

Now, besides libusb0.sys not being GPL, the one issue I see with placing 
the K or 0 drivers into WU is with regards to pushing driver updates. 
Unless we do it ourselves, then a company that relies on the libusbK 
WCID driver, and who went through WHQL with it, may have greater 
interest in keeping the WU driver to a version that they know works, 
rather than push for an update that always has a minor potential to 
break things. This could leave libusbK WCID users stranded with an older 
version of the driver, unless they manually update...

Regards,

/Pete