Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S261871AbTEFUmZ (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 May 2003 16:42:25 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S261872AbTEFUmW (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 May 2003 16:42:22 -0400 Received: from smtp-out2.iol.cz ([194.228.2.87]:39607 "EHLO smtp-out2.iol.cz") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S261871AbTEFUmI (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 May 2003 16:42:08 -0400 Date: Tue, 6 May 2003 22:43:05 +0200 From: Pavel Machek To: Jamie Lokier Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Using GPL'd Linux drivers with non-GPL, binary-only kernel Message-ID: <20030506204305.GA5546@elf.ucw.cz> References: <20030506164252.GA5125@mail.jlokier.co.uk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20030506164252.GA5125@mail.jlokier.co.uk> X-Warning: Reading this can be dangerous to your mental health. User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.3i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1592 Lines: 39 Hi! > I was mulling over a commercial project proposal, and this question > came up: > > What's the position of kernel developers towards using the GPL'd Linux > kernel modules - that is, device drivers, network stack, filesystems > etc. - with a binary-only, closed source kernel that is written > independently of Linux? > > I realise that linking the modules directly with the binary kernel is > a big no no, but what if they are dynamically loaded? > > There seems to be a broad agreement, and I realise it isn't unanimous, > that dynamically loading binary-only modules into the Linux kernel is > ok. Furthermore, there are some funny rules about which interfaces a > binary-only module may use and which it may not, before it's > considered a derivative work of the kernel. > > So, as dynamic loading is ok between parts of Linux and binary-only > code, that seems to imply we could build a totally different kind of > binary-only kernel which was able to make use of all the Linux kernel > modules. We could even modularise parts of the kernel which aren't > modular now, so that we could take advantage of even more parts of Linux. > > What do you think? If you can make those drivers in your userspace, its certainly okay... Pavel -- When do you have a heart between your knees? [Johanka's followup: and *two* hearts?] - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/