Subject: Re: Using GPL'd Linux drivers with non-GPL, binary-only kernel
From: Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>
To: Jamie Lokier <jamie@shareable.org>
Cc: Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz>,
       Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
In-Reply-To: <20030506221819.GC6284@mail.jlokier.co.uk>
References: <20030506164252.GA5125@mail.jlokier.co.uk>
	 <20030506204305.GA5546@elf.ucw.cz>
	 <20030506221819.GC6284@mail.jlokier.co.uk>
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Date: 06 May 2003 22:31:14 +0100
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On Maw, 2003-05-06 at 23:18, Jamie Lokier wrote:
> If I load a Java class into a Java VM, that class is executing in the
> VM's "userspace", even though both the class and VM execute together
> in the underlying kernel's userspace.  If I load an Emacs Lisp library
> into Emacs, that's ok too in the same way.

Thats not actually clear either. The kernel contains the clear syscall
message for good reasons. The GPL itself talks about stuff that comes
normally with the OS very carefully for similar reasons.

You see there isn't any difference between an interpreter hitting
	Java bytecode 145
and a function call of 
	perform_java_bytecode(145);

Indeed the JVM may turn one into the other.


If you think that is bad remember that the DMCA and other rulings have
held shrink wrap licenses can sometimes overrule US style "fair use", so
your JVM in JITting code may be making you liable for a license
violation for some applications.

Corner cases are fun in more than just the computing profession 8)


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