Date: Sat, 26 Mar 2005 19:20:59 -0800
From: Greg KH <greg@kroah.com>
To: Lee Revell <rlrevell@joe-job.com>
Cc: Mark Fortescue <mark@mtfhpc.demon.co.uk>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Can't use SYSFS for "Proprietry" driver modules !!!.
Message-ID: <20050327032059.GA31389@kroah.com>
References: <Pine.LNX.4.10.10503261710320.13484-100000@mtfhpc.demon.co.uk> <20050326182828.GA8540@kroah.com> <1111869274.32641.0.camel@mindpipe> <20050327004801.GA610@kroah.com> <1111885480.1312.9.camel@mindpipe>
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On Sat, Mar 26, 2005 at 08:04:40PM -0500, Lee Revell wrote:
> On Sat, 2005-03-26 at 16:48 -0800, Greg KH wrote:
> > On Sat, Mar 26, 2005 at 03:34:34PM -0500, Lee Revell wrote:
> > > On Sat, 2005-03-26 at 10:28 -0800, Greg KH wrote:
> > > > On Sat, Mar 26, 2005 at 05:52:20PM +0000, Mark Fortescue wrote:
> > > > > 
> > > > > I am writing a "Proprietry" driver module for a "Proprietry" PCI card and
> > > > > I have found that I can't use SYSFS on Linux-2.6.10.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Why ?. 
> > > > 
> > > > What ever gave you the impression that it was legal to create a
> > > > "Proprietry" kernel driver for Linux in the first place.
> > > 
> > > The fact that Nvidia and ATI get away with it?
> > 
> > So, the fact that someone else is doing something illegal, makes it
> > acceptable for you to do the same thing?  Please, talk to a lawyer about
> > this issue if you have _any_ questions.
> > 
> 
> Well, I never said I agreed with it.  But the fact that major vendors do
> it flagrantly might lead someone to think it's not illegal.  Why doesn't
> anyone do anything?  Afraid they'll drop Linux support rather than find
> a way to open their drivers?

Probably just because no one has gotten around to sueing them just yet.
It's only a matter of time...

And no, I don't think anyone is "afraid" at all, that's just silly.

> Anyway, this is news to me.  How about putting it in the FAQ?  Too
> politically charged?

Why does it need to be in the FAQ, when the file COPYING in the main
kernel directory explicitly spells this out?

thanks,

greg k-h
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