Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932410AbWIPPju (ORCPT ); Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:39:50 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932411AbWIPPju (ORCPT ); Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:39:50 -0400 Received: from viper.oldcity.dca.net ([216.158.38.4]:58798 "HELO viper.oldcity.dca.net") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S932410AbWIPPjt (ORCPT ); Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:39:49 -0400 Subject: Re: request for ioctl range for private devices From: Lee Revell To: Stephen Hemminger Cc: jim@gibbons.com, Miguel Ojeda , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org In-Reply-To: <20060916134450.50398540@localhost.localdomain> References: <450B31BF.4050604@gibbons.com> <653402b90609151726l230e9bafg5d06a36e7cd7b32c@mail.gmail.com> <450B48CC.6060604@gibbons.com> <20060916134450.50398540@localhost.localdomain> Content-Type: text/plain Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 11:40:49 -0400 Message-Id: <1158421249.25448.22.camel@mindpipe> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.6.1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1487 Lines: 32 On Sat, 2006-09-16 at 13:44 +0900, Stephen Hemminger wrote: > On Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:43:56 -0700 > Jim Gibbons wrote: > > > I can see that I wasn't as clear as I should have been. Thank you for > > trying to figure it out anyway. > > > > Please let me try again to explain. We are using a driver interface to > > our kernel level code. Our kernel level code is a loadable module. We > > have no intention of modifying the kernel or of releasing our code. We > > accept the implied maintenance responsibility on this private, embedded > > platform. > > Then why should the main kernel developers do anything to help you > with your private effort? I think the request is valid, even for those planning to comply with the GPL. I'm working on an embedded device that has a similar requirement. The code will not be submitted upstream, as the hardware is customized, but of course we will provide driver sources to those who buy the hardware as the GPL requires. It would be useful to have a private ioctl range for this. And please don't tell me not to use an ioctl() interface - it's the simplest way to communicate between kernel and userspace, and since the code is not going upstream it's our choice. Lee - 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/