While I welcome the arrival of a userspace implementation of drivers, DriverKit as it stands has some notable flaws. My main concern is the ability of open-source projects like HoRNDIS being able to access paid developer accounts and the limited entitlement scope (plus the waiting period) for what is essentially a hobbyist free project.
Even if the developer is a professional company, some legacy hardware will go unsupported because of a lack of support from the vendor. Providing a way for users who need access to older hardware would be needed.
Three concrete requests:
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A class-level or wildcard VID/PID entitlement for open source projects with a verifiable public repository
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A free or reduced-cost entitlement path for non-commercial volunteer-maintained drivers
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Published approval criteria and timelines so projects can plan accordingly
Depreciating kexts without providing an accessible successor for community projects isn't security, it is gatekeeping access to hardware that is critically needed.
Is this use case on the roadmap at all? Developers deserve a clear answer.