Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S262719AbVBCBOK (ORCPT ); Wed, 2 Feb 2005 20:14:10 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S262361AbVBCBEh (ORCPT ); Wed, 2 Feb 2005 20:04:37 -0500 Received: from mail.kroah.org ([69.55.234.183]:21890 "EHLO perch.kroah.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S262863AbVBCAa0 (ORCPT ); Wed, 2 Feb 2005 19:30:26 -0500 Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 16:30:10 -0800 From: Greg KH To: Pavel Roskin Cc: Patrick Mochel , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Please open sysfs symbols to proprietary modules Message-ID: <20050203003010.GA15481@kroah.com> References: <20050202232909.GA14607@kroah.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.6i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1512 Lines: 38 On Wed, Feb 02, 2005 at 07:07:21PM -0500, Pavel Roskin wrote: > On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Greg KH wrote: > >On Wed, Feb 02, 2005 at 03:23:30PM -0800, Patrick Mochel wrote: > >> > >>What is wrong with creating a (GPL'd) abstraction layer that exports > >>symbols to the proprietary modules? > > > >Ick, no! > > > >Please consult with a lawyer before trying this. I know a lot of them > >consider doing this just as forbidden as marking your module > >MODULE_LICENSE("GPL"); when it really isn't. > > There will be a GPL'd layer, and it's likely that sysfs interaction will > be on the GPL'd side anyway, for purely technical reasons. But it does > feel like circumvention of the limitations set in the kernel. It is. And as such, it is not allowed. > I thought it would be polite to ask the developers to lift those > limitations, considering that they seem unfair and inconsistent with > the stated purpose of EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL. No, the stated purpose of that marking is to prevent non-GPLd code from using those symbols. I don't see how you can state that using sysfs files in your driver does not make it a "derived work" and force you to make all of your driver GPL. I suggest that you consult your company's lawyers for what to do here. Good luck, greg k-h - 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/