Messages in this thread | | | From | "Jason Kingsland" <> | Subject | Re: Linux GPL and binary module exception clause? | Date | Fri, 5 Dec 2003 12:29:56 -0500 |
| |
Linus wrote: > There's a clarification that user-space programs that use the standard > system call interfaces aren't considered derived works
If it said "user-space" or "non-kernel address space" in the Linux license then I would agree.
But the exact wording is much more vague:
"user programs that use kernel services by normal system calls"
Any binary loadable kernel module can be considered a "user program" Any interface defined in the kernel header files can be considered a "normal system call"
This is why I think further clarification is warranted in future versions of copying.txt - because we are needlessly giving away the source-code freedom that GPL is intended to protect.
The proponents of binary-only kernel modules currently use the above as a defense to argue their case for GPL non-compliance. - 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/
| |