From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S262655AbTJJIho (ORCPT ); Fri, 10 Oct 2003 04:37:44 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S262673AbTJJIho (ORCPT ); Fri, 10 Oct 2003 04:37:44 -0400 Received: from atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz ([195.113.31.123]:20400 "EHLO atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S262655AbTJJIhn (ORCPT ); Fri, 10 Oct 2003 04:37:43 -0400 Date: Tue, 7 Oct 2003 12:49:26 +0200 From: Pavel Machek To: "Richard B. Johnson" Cc: Pascal Schmidt , Larry McVoy , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: freed_symbols [Re: People, not GPL [was: Re: Driver Model]] Message-ID: <20031007104926.GA1659@openzaurus.ucw.cz> References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.27i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Hi! > A company makes a new device that could run under Linux. > This device uses some standard gate-arrays. Because of > this, some gate-array bits need to be loaded upon startup. > > The company knows that if the competition learns that a > gate-array was used, instead of an ASIC, the competition > could clone the whole device in a few weeks, thereby > stealing a few million dollars of development effort. Since when is creating compatible hw called stealing?! If this was such a big problem, nothing prevents you from putting ROM with those magic bits... How much is that? _5? -- Pavel Written on sharp zaurus, because my Velo1 broke. If you have Velo you don't need...