Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 05 Feb 1998 14:16:23 +1100 | From | Mitch Davis <> | Subject | Re: What is accepted into the standard kernel sources ? |
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Theodore Y. Ts'o wrote: > > > specifications. The driver - the part that interfaces between the > > Linux kernel and the library - is released under GPL. The library > > itself is not available in source form, but could be included > > As a practical matter though, you might want to stop and ask yourself if > this is really necessary or matters. It doesn't take all that much > effort to disassemble a compiled .o file, and people who think that it > is difficult are just kidding themselves.
... as we recently saw with the the Pentium f00f bug incident. A .o file was released for some crufty OS, and it was torn apart in about two days to provide a f00f bug fix for Linux.
Alan Cox wrote: > If your company can't compete if your hardware interfaces are > disclosed, I'd suggest that you should take a hard look at your > business model or your technology, because that should be a red flag > that something might be seriously wrong.
Right on, there. Besides, if I had the choice between two h/w products, one which came with GPLed source for the drivers, and one which didn't, guess which I'd pick.
Henrik, what the Linux community has given you is a massive market into which you can sell hardware. Don't you think it's fair to give a little back?
Just my two cents.
Mitch. -- | mailto:mjd@nsmd.aus.hp.com | Not an official view of: | | mailto:mjd@alphalink.com.au | Telecom Management Divn | | Anti-SPAM trials now in test | Hewlett Packard Australia |
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