Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1756611AbYLAAWS (ORCPT ); Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:22:18 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1753457AbYLAAWK (ORCPT ); Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:22:10 -0500 Received: from s15216962.onlinehome-server.info ([217.160.22.205]:39797 "EHLO s15216962.onlinehome-server.info" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752627AbYLAAWJ convert rfc822-to-8bit (ORCPT ); Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:22:09 -0500 Date: Mon, 1 Dec 2008 01:19:13 +0100 From: Enrico Weigelt To: linux kernel list Subject: Re: Developing non-commercial drivers ? Message-ID: <20081201001913.GA28673@nibiru.local> Reply-To: weigelt@metux.de References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.1i X-Terror: bin laden, kill bush, Briefbombe, Massenvernichtung, KZ, X-Nazi: Weisse Rasse, Hitlers Wiederauferstehung, 42, X-Antichrist: weg mit schaeuble, ausrotten, heiliger krieg, al quaida, X-Killer: 23, endloesung, Weltuntergang, X-Doof: wer das liest ist doof Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1909 Lines: 44 * Fredrik Markstr?m wrote: Hi, > I'm working for as a consultant for a large hardware company porting > Linux to their new cpu-architecture and everything is pretty much > up and running. Now they want us to develop a closed-source (to > protect their IP) ethernet driver for their proprietary Ethernet MAC. Much of this already had been answered, but just to summarize: * technically, binary drivers are a very bad idea - just look at the utterly broken nv crap. * IMHO, as soon as you include some kernel-internal headers, you've got an derived work, thus violating GPL (IANAL!) * binary-only drivers DON NOT protect IP, just delay the process of revealing a little bit. * try to find out whether the customer *really* has some valueble IP to protect or if it's just it's default oppionion * *if* the customer still wants an binary-only driver, you check whether the logic to hide can be moved to userland (let the userland part talk to the in-kernel driver via 9P) * let your customer know that binary-only drivers tend to heavily damage a company's reputation in the OSS world, *BAD* for marketing. just my 0.02,- cu -- --------------------------------------------------------------------- Enrico Weigelt == metux IT service - http://www.metux.de/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Please visit the OpenSource QM Taskforce: http://wiki.metux.de/public/OpenSource_QM_Taskforce Patches / Fixes for a lot dozens of packages in dozens of versions: http://patches.metux.de/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- -- 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/