For another approach to open source networking by Linux Foundation please check DENT OS [1].
> OpenWRT is not yet in a position to influence the hardware design decisions made by companies like Mediatek, Qualcomm, Broadcom for their consumer WiFi product families.
Perhaps I'm biased, but I do believe DENT is in much better position and has more chance of influencing the white-box networking vendor than OpenWRT with regards to their design decisions.
From the website:
"As a Linux Foundation project, DENT utilizes the Linux Kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux based projects as the basis for building a new standardized network operating system without abstractions or overhead. All underlying infrastructure — including ASIC and Silicon for networking and datapath — is treated equally; while existing abstractions, APIs, drivers, low-level overhead, and other open software are simplified. DENT unites silicon vendors, ODMs, SIs, OEMs, and end users across all verticals to enable the transition to disaggregated networks."
That doesn't even appear to be attempting to address anything relevant to consumer networking. It's a purely enterprise-focused project, mostly about putting a Debian-based OS onto rackmount ethernet switches.
>That doesn't even appear to be attempting to address anything relevant to consumer networking
Don't be too pessimistic, anything that can contribute to the disaggregation of networking technology will be good for the consumer markets since the companies producing these networking SoC namely Qualcomm, Mediatek, etc should care about their downstream revenues. By adopting the open eco-system champion by SONiC and DENT for networking technology disaggregation, it will definitely spill over to the consumer networking as well since these are the very same companies that design and manufacture the networking pervasive consumer networking SoC.
There are too many and numerous examples of Linux enterprise features that are spilling over to consumer Linux, and the latest is the real-time Linux kernel extensions although it did take like forever (i.e 20 years) to be adopted by the main line Linux kernel.
> OpenWRT is not yet in a position to influence the hardware design decisions made by companies like Mediatek, Qualcomm, Broadcom for their consumer WiFi product families.
Perhaps I'm biased, but I do believe DENT is in much better position and has more chance of influencing the white-box networking vendor than OpenWRT with regards to their design decisions.
From the website:
"As a Linux Foundation project, DENT utilizes the Linux Kernel, Switchdev, and other Linux based projects as the basis for building a new standardized network operating system without abstractions or overhead. All underlying infrastructure — including ASIC and Silicon for networking and datapath — is treated equally; while existing abstractions, APIs, drivers, low-level overhead, and other open software are simplified. DENT unites silicon vendors, ODMs, SIs, OEMs, and end users across all verticals to enable the transition to disaggregated networks."
[1] DENT:
https://dent.dev/