Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Wed, 17 Apr 2002 06:53:37 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Wed, 17 Apr 2002 06:53:36 -0400 Received: from lightning.swansea.linux.org.uk ([194.168.151.1]:61454 "EHLO the-village.bc.nu") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Wed, 17 Apr 2002 06:53:35 -0400 Subject: Re: offtpic: GPL driver vs. non GPL driver To: wom@tateyama.hu (Gabor Kerenyi) Date: Wed, 17 Apr 2002 12:11:06 +0100 (BST) Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org In-Reply-To: <200204171937.48441.wom@tateyama.hu> from "Gabor Kerenyi" at Apr 17, 2002 07:37:48 PM X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL6] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: From: Alan Cox Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org > First question: Is it possible to write the driver in GPL and then develop a > binary only LIB? (I think yes because the LIB is in user space) Thats a legal question about derivative works again. Its a lawyer question. Don't ask lawyers how to program, don't ask programmers how the law works 8) In business terms a binary only driver means that it won't be considered for the mainstream kernel and you will need to rebuild it for every exact kernel version your customers want. Irrespective of the GPL/lib question it may be helpful to provide your customers source code to the kernel part of the driver if only so you don't have to keep recompiling it. VMware follows very much this model - their kernel bits are source code, vmware itself is most definitely proprietary and per copy licensed. Alan - 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/