Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 11 Dec 2003 11:49:53 +1300 | From | Oliver Hunt <> | Subject | Re: Linux GPL and binary module exception clause? |
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Linus Torvalds wrote: ... > There's a fundamental difference between "plugins" and "kernel modules": > intent. > ...
The key difference between a plugin and a module(from my understanding of plugins in browser/application sense) is how information is passed.
Says we have the flash plugin for some random browser, say BrowserApp 1.01, now the browser comes across a flash file, now it calls the flash plugin, passing both the file, and the graphics context the plugin can draw to. Flash does it's rendering and then shoves it's output to the canvas: that's all it can do, it may make a request (say, browser::getURL) but that's about it, and the browser can always ignore it.
Now there is competitor to BrowserApp known as BrowserOS, instead of plugins it has modules. Now, when BrowserOS comes across a flash file it loads it's flash module and passes the url, at which point the module takes over, and allocates a graphics context for it to draw to(see it controls what happens, rather than the otherway round). Now say the module wants to load a webpage it now tells the address bar to change, then it makes internal changes (loads the new url, etc), that the browser _cannot_ stop, it is effectively part of the program...
--Oliver
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