Systems such as OpenBSD and the other BSDs did not spring fully formed from the forehead of a deity (although some will argue that the process was not that different). Rather, they’re the result of years of effort by a number of smart and dedicated developers.

BSD developers are all highly qualified and extremely dedicated people who work tirelessly—the majority in their spare time—to produce amazing results. However, they do not live in a bubble with access to everything they need. The hardware itself or adequate documentation to support it is often unavailable to them. Another common problem is that documentation is often provided only under a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), which limits how developers can use the information.^[46]

Through reverse engineering, developers can write drivers to support hardware even without proper documentation, but the process is a complicated one that consists of educated guessing, coding, and testing until results begin to emerge. Reverse engineering takes a long time and, for reasons known only to lawmakers and lobbyists, it has legal consequences in several jurisdictions around the world.

The good news is that you can help the developers get the hardware and other material they need.