Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S261360AbVBRNNm (ORCPT ); Fri, 18 Feb 2005 08:13:42 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S261353AbVBRNNm (ORCPT ); Fri, 18 Feb 2005 08:13:42 -0500 Received: from pentafluge.infradead.org ([213.146.154.40]:36261 "EHLO pentafluge.infradead.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S261352AbVBRNNk (ORCPT ); Fri, 18 Feb 2005 08:13:40 -0500 Subject: Re: Please open sysfs symbols to proprietary modules From: Arjan van de Ven To: parker@citynetwireless.net Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org In-Reply-To: <20050217231304.GA18940@core.citynetwireless.net> References: <20050217231304.GA18940@core.citynetwireless.net> Content-Type: text/plain Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 14:13:11 +0100 Message-Id: <1108732392.4664.179.camel@laptopd505.fenrus.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.0.2 (2.0.2-3) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Spam-Score: 4.1 (++++) X-Spam-Report: SpamAssassin version 2.63 on pentafluge.infradead.org summary: Content analysis details: (4.1 points, 5.0 required) pts rule name description ---- ---------------------- -------------------------------------------------- 0.3 RCVD_NUMERIC_HELO Received: contains a numeric HELO 1.1 RCVD_IN_DSBL RBL: Received via a relay in list.dsbl.org [] 2.5 RCVD_IN_DYNABLOCK RBL: Sent directly from dynamic IP address [80.57.133.107 listed in dnsbl.sorbs.net] 0.1 RCVD_IN_SORBS RBL: SORBS: sender is listed in SORBS [80.57.133.107 listed in dnsbl.sorbs.net] X-SRS-Rewrite: SMTP reverse-path rewritten from by pentafluge.infradead.org See http://www.infradead.org/rpr.html Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1492 Lines: 31 On Thu, 2005-02-17 at 17:13 -0600, parker@citynetwireless.net wrote: > On Thu, 03 Feb 2005 09:41:00 +0100, Arjan van de Ven wrote: > > On Wed, 2005-02-02 at 17:56 -0500, Pavel Roskin wrote: > > > Hello! > > > > > > I'm writing a module under a proprietary license. I decided to use sysfs > > > to do the configuration. Unfortunately, all sysfs exports are available > > > to GPL modules only because they are exported by EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL. > > > > I suggest you talk to a lawyer and review the general comments about > > binary modules with him (http://people.redhat.com/arjanv/COPYING.modules > > for example). You are writing an addition to linux from scratch, and it > > is generally not considered OK to do that in binary form (I certainly do > > not consider it OK). > > So what about companies like ImageStream who write proprietary Linux network > drivers for their hardware from scratch with no previous ports from another OS? Note that "has a previous port" is not enough for me to consider a proprietary driver "ok". Anyway you asked... if your description is accurate then yes I consider those modules (if they are distributed of course) a violation of the license of the code I contributed to the kernel. - 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/