Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2004 09:26:23 -0800
From: Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com>
To: Jamie Lokier <jamie@shareable.org>
Cc: bert hubert <ahu@ds9a.nl>, Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com>,
       linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: who is merlin.fit.vutbr.cz?
Message-ID: <20040401172623.GA25496@work.bitmover.com>
Mail-Followup-To: Larry McVoy <lm@work.bitmover.com>,
	Jamie Lokier <jamie@shareable.org>, bert hubert <ahu@ds9a.nl>,
	Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
References: <200403290108.i2T18T8d024595@work.bitmover.com> <20040331182039.GA29397@outpost.ds9a.nl> <20040331213143.GC20693@mail.shareable.org> <20040331214517.GB1599@outpost.ds9a.nl> <20040401133912.GA25163@mail.shareable.org>
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On Thu, Apr 01, 2004 at 02:39:12PM +0100, Jamie Lokier wrote:
> bert hubert wrote:
> > On Wed, Mar 31, 2004 at 10:31:43PM +0100, Jamie Lokier wrote:
> > > > RCU for BitKeeper trees? :-)
> > > 
> > > Last I heard, RCU is patented by IBM, with permission to use it in GPL
> > > programs (maybe limited to version 2 of the GPL?), so that Linux can use it.
> > 
> > This is really astonishing. It is not possible to say one thing about
> > bitkeeper without descending into a discussion on patents and licenses!
> 
> No.  It's an unfortunate coincidence that you mentioned RCU on a
> BitKeeper(tm) thread.  A suggestion to use RCU in, say, Mozilla or
> FreeBSD would have elicited a similar response.
> 
> RCU patents were mentioned numerous times in the news when RCU was
> added to the kernel.  One presumes, then, that IBM was keen for it to
> be known the technique is patented, and one would be wise to tread
> carefully if intending to copy the technique as it is used in Linux,
> as you jokingly suggested.
> 
> In case you misunderstood, the grandparent post was not an attack on
> BitMover.  Fwiw, I'm on BitMover's side if the RCU patent is relevant,
> which it probably is not.  I doubt if the patent extends beyond task
> scheduling done in a certain way, although as I said I have not read it.

BitMover could care less about RCU, please leave us out of this discussion.
-- 
---
Larry McVoy                lm at bitmover.com           http://www.bitkeeper.com
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