Re: some ideas on guidelines

[Greg KH <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>]

On Sun, Aug 18, 2019 at 06:08:40PM -0400, Richard Fontana wrote:
> On Sun, Aug 18, 2019 at 1:08 AM Greg KH <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org> wrote:
> >
> > And no one except HURD is going to be trying to use Linux files in other
> > projects :)
> 
> I've actually encountered a few cases over the years where there was
> some desire to reuse Linux files, or portions of Linux files anyway,
> in non-Linux projects (and not HURD :), in situations where the
> presumption that the code was copyrightable and that the applicable
> license was GPLv2, or at least GPLv2-only, was problematic. In one of
> these cases, it was a GPLv3 project (Samba) that wished to use the
> Linux code. They ended up asking Red Hat for a GPLv3-or-later license.
> I think both of the non-Samba cases involved some code that was
> generally useful in contexts having nothing to do with the kernel.

Great, but then it should be GPLv2 like the original COPYING file says,
and not "or later" like it never said.

That's my point, yes, other projects use kernel files all the time
(Spongebob squarepants video game stole our string handling functions)
but if they want a different license for it, they need to get permission
to change it.

thanks,

greg k-h