Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932560AbVLFN2v (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Dec 2005 08:28:51 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932559AbVLFN2u (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Dec 2005 08:28:50 -0500 Received: from extgw-uk.mips.com ([62.254.210.129]:36363 "EHLO bacchus.net.dhis.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S932560AbVLFN2t (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Dec 2005 08:28:49 -0500 Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2005 13:28:46 +0000 From: Ralf Baechle To: Matthieu CASTET Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario Message-ID: <20051206132846.GD2698@linux-mips.org> References: <1133779953.9356.9.camel@laptopd505.fenrus.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.2.1i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1452 Lines: 31 On Tue, Dec 06, 2005 at 12:24:42AM +0100, Matthieu CASTET wrote: > > What if.. what if the linux kernel developers tomorrow accept that > > binary modules are OK and are essential for the progress of linux. > > > [...] > > Now this scenario may sound unlikely to you. And thankfully the main > > assumption (the December 6th event) is extremely unlikely. > > > > However, and this unfortunately, several of the other "leaps" aren't > > that unlikely. In fact, some of these results are likely to happen > > regardless; witness the flamewars on lkml about breaking module API/ABI. > > Witness the ndiswrapper effect of vendors now saying "we support linux > > because ndiswrapper can use our windows driver". I hope they won't > > happen. Some of that hope will be idle hope, but I believe that the > > advantages of freedom in the end are strong enough to overcome the > > counter forces. > And some embedded companies provide the minimal source code to put > in arch and everything else (ethernet, adsl, wifi, ...) is binaries > modules. Provide a one time source drop to show what good GPL citizen they are, then let it rot away making sure the average user will have to pay their bill ... Ralf - 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/