Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1756407AbYKVSst (ORCPT ); Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:48:49 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1752110AbYKVSsk (ORCPT ); Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:48:40 -0500 Received: from mx.treblig.org ([80.68.94.177]:41111 "EHLO mx.treblig.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751579AbYKVSsj (ORCPT ); Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:48:39 -0500 X-Greylist: delayed 1937 seconds by postgrey-1.27 at vger.kernel.org; Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:48:39 EST Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:16:19 +0000 From: "Dr. David Alan Gilbert" To: Fredrik Markstr?m Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Developing non-commercial drivers ? Message-ID: <20081122181619.GA7381@gallifrey> References: <4922ED5A.3030808@shaw.ca> <7a9e70560811180852y9eb2bf6s8682609dcb10fd9f@mail.gmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <7a9e70560811180852y9eb2bf6s8682609dcb10fd9f@mail.gmail.com> X-Chocolate: 70 percent or better cocoa solids preferably X-Operating-System: Linux/2.6.23.1-bytemark-uml (i686) X-Uptime: 18:12:48 up 48 days, 8 min, 2 users, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00 User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.13 (2006-08-11) Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1463 Lines: 31 * Fredrik Markstr?m (fredrik.markstrom@avalonenterprise.com) wrote: > Thanks for the prompt respons. > > I do agree that it would be better for everyone to release it under > GPL and I have already expressed that to our customer. > > At this point I feel that we have two possibilities, help our customer > violate GPL or say no to the project. I'd prefer a third option where > I could tell the customer that we can setup the project in a certain > way (some "cleanroom" setup ?) to ensure that the results can not be > considered derived work. A 3rd option I think would be for them to put the bits that they worry about the IP in firmware executed in a processor on the ether chip, then make a nice clean interface that a GPL'd driver talks to. Of course that relies on there being a suitable processor in the chip; if not then perhaps you should remind them to think about the software before spinning their chip! Dave -- -----Open up your eyes, open up your mind, open up your code ------- / Dr. David Alan Gilbert | Running GNU/Linux on Alpha,68K| Happy \ \ gro.gilbert @ treblig.org | MIPS,x86,ARM,SPARC,PPC & HPPA | In Hex / \ _________________________|_____ http://www.treblig.org |_______/ -- 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/