Em 25-01-2012 11:46, Mauro Carvalho Chehab escreveu:
Em 25-01-2012 10:30, Alan Cox escreveu:
Technically speaking, is there no way that the EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPLed symbols can be used by the binary blobs, possibly with an open-sourced shim which provides the buffer-sharing interface to the binary blobs? Are there any reasons to not consider this approach?
The GPL requires all the code of a work is source. All of it, no shims no magic glue. EXPORT_SYMBOL isn't an indication you can use it for binary modules. The GPL licence is quite clear on what is covered.
Agreed. Such patch won't change anything. The discussions, patch reviews, etc were under the assumption that the code will be GPL'd, plus the subsystems that are exposed by this interface also assumes that.
Any trials to circumvent it seem to violate Kernel owner's rights.
In time, let me rephrase it:
Any trial to circumvent it seems to be an attempt to violate Kernel owner's rights.
Since you've asked this I'm advised by my lawyer to respond to all such assumptions of legality of binary modules...
For a Linux kernel containing any code I own the code is under the GNU public license v2 (in some cases or later), I have never given permission for that code to be used as part of a combined or derivative work which contains binary chunks. I have never said that modules are somehow magically outside the GPL and I am doubtful that in most cases a work containing binary modules for a Linux kernel is compatible with the licensing, although I accept there may be some cases that it is.
Alan
I second Alan: For a Linux kernel containing any code I own the code is under the GNU public license v2 (in a few cases, where explicitly said GPLv2 or later or dual GNU/BSD), I have never given permission for that code to be used as part of a combined or derivative work which contains binary chunks.
Regards, Mauro.