But I have to give it to QMK as well, they have been reworking / refactoring a major wart in how you config keyboards, with the move to info.json and away from custom C and make files.
OTOH, QMK has successfully forced-open proprietary keyboards that were sold with QMK forks and then repeatedly, emmphatically refused to release the source. This includes the awesome non-Bluetooth 1000hz-rate Nordic Semiconductor wireless feature of the NuPhy Air keyboards!
https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/pull/21949#issuecomment-...
Copyleft works. In spite of all its haters.
It's important to remember that. It forces the hardware vendors to stay on "their side of the line" -- or at least to give up control over any part of their product which extends into the software space. This is why it's much more important for the hardware-touching parts of the stack (Linux, GRUB, GCC) to be copyleft than the rest of the software we use.
A lot of the anti-copyleft people think only in terms of software-company/software-company interactions.
I think you're confusing this with WiFi. The Nordic Semiconductor chips don't require a firmware upload; the protocol they run is vastly simpler than wifi -- it's like UART-over-2.4ghz-GFSK-radio plus some error correction.
https://www.sparkfun.com/datasheets/Components/nRF24L01_prel...
The block diagram doesn't show any kind of CPU in there.
Bluetooth keyboards were a horrible idea.
[0]: https://github.com/qmk/qmk_firmware/compare/master...nuphy-s...
You've got a fine argument for preferring GPL software, but I'd be shocked if there was a ZMK keyboard out there you couldn't flash.
a.) That's how you configure it
b.) Upstream (including the platforn, Zepher) is moving quickly, with frequent performance, feature, security, battery life, and usability improvements-- eg. a recent commit touts support for bitlocker screens
c.) I had to hack on it to get the behavior I wanted, which.. oh, that means a company might want to hack on it too, i see
but this all to say that it would be a remarkable tragady for a company to not support mainline provide you with the sources, if just for integrating upstream updates, and thankfully I can't think of a product that does so. I'd prefer it was copyleft too (so we didn't have to worry about it), but I wouldn't go so far as to proclaim that's what "you're getting" as if it's endemic to the platform.
MoErgo Glove80 is ZMK based. Extensible and flashable, too.
It seems like the code doesn't actually contain the RF firmware, though - it's just the glue to talk to an external chip which essentially acts as a "modem".
The reason ZMK uses the MIT license - and proper RF support cannot be added to QMK - is that Nordic's RF stack drivers use a license which isn't compatible with GPL. This means if you want to do wireless stuff inside the actual keyboard firmware you can't use QMK.
There is of course a fork out there doing exactly this because nothing is technically stopping you, but you're legally not allowed to combine the two.
Sounds like a security nightmare. Input devices, and especially keyboards, are something that absolutely needs to be wired-only in my book.
That's just like, your opinion, man.