The closer I move to FLOSS, the less relevant I become. The world isn't going to move away from the digital prisons. I used to think that Libre Software was enough but it's not.

One of the biggest problems for people involved in development of Libre Software and Firmware isn't the actual development. The biggest problem is the whole idea of Intellectual Property on a physical device. The companies who designed these products have made them hostile to any other work than superficial Open Source. They have the legal right to have criminal charges pressed on people who are only working to give people the option to use FLOSS.

These companies will hide the fact that they have IP embedded in many different products and they won't make themselves known until development is underway on a replacement. They set traps and sabotage work on FLOSS. What they do isn't for security, criminals aren't deterred by laws.

The results from the above don't just waste a developer's time, it destroys their work, discredits them, erodes at morale and this affects an entire community. There would be many more stories about this if the companies didn't go after those who dare to be specific. There's nothing like being wronged by those who laid their traps just to cause harm. It's not uncommon to find BSD and similar licensed code being used in the same firmware.

My point is please be patient with the developers who fight to give people control over their own hardware. They don't get paid for their work and they could easily get criminal charges without knowingly violating any laws. These developers are usually some of the most dedicated and perhaps some of the best around. The best possible reward for these people is simply achieving their goal.