From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1CzTpT-0006YU-FI for qemu-devel@nongnu.org; Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:58:59 -0500 Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1CzTpR-0006Y6-SB for qemu-devel@nongnu.org; Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:58:59 -0500 Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1CzTno-00068P-2M for qemu-devel@nongnu.org; Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:57:16 -0500 Received: from [63.208.196.171] (helo=outbound.mailhop.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (TLSv1:DES-CBC3-SHA:168) (Exim 4.34) id 1CzT9s-00058u-9m for qemu-devel@nongnu.org; Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:16:00 -0500 Received: from user-0cdvpct.cable.mindspring.com ([24.223.229.157] helo=mail.info9.net) by outbound.mailhop.org with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.44) id 1CzT9p-000P50-Hi for qemu-devel@nongnu.org; Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:15:57 -0500 Received: from [10.9.7.5] (fred1.info9.net [10.9.7.5]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mail.info9.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id C95CE78550 for ; Thu, 10 Feb 2005 23:15:57 -0600 (CST) Message-ID: <420C3F82.5020902@info9.net> Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 23:15:46 -0600 From: Tom Marble MIME-Version: 1.0 Subject: Re: [Qemu-devel] The QEMU Accelerator Module References: <420BEEB7.1010906@bellard.org> In-Reply-To: <420BEEB7.1010906@bellard.org> Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="------------enig8C4AB9A131F6CEBC323DBB99" Reply-To: qemu-devel@nongnu.org List-Id: qemu-devel.nongnu.org List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , To: qemu-devel@nongnu.org This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 2440 and 3156) --------------enig8C4AB9A131F6CEBC323DBB99 Fabrice Bellard wrote: > KQEMU is _not_ open source as the rest of QEMU. It is a proprietary > kernel module (read the LICENSE file) and will stay so until a gentle > company decides to subsidy the QEMU project. I'd like to make an appeal that KQEMU be licensed under the GPL. I'm not going to try to roll out a general FOSS position statement, but speak from a more practical level: - This technology is extremely important for faciliting automated testing of the full (open) stack (including BIOS, ACPI, storage, graphics, OS, swsusp). And that testing is vital to the continuing quality and vibrance of the entire stack. - non-GPL kernel modules will taint the kernel and completely change the trajectory of the technology (it's support, innovation, evolution, etc.) - Clearly Fabrice is (currently) in the comfortable position of being the Benevolent Dictator ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benevolent_dictator ). I'm sure that's a position that could lead to speaking engagements, books, consulting and other forms of monetization which are quite compatible with the GPL. Is KQEMU valuable? Absolutely! Could it be proprietary? Of course (vis VMware). In this strange calculus of open source, as counterintuitive as it seems, I'm convinced that it can be even *more* valuable as GPL technology (to the community) and more valuable to Fabrice personally. While there may be many shades of 'open' (e.g. blender) I'm sure that that community would be much more productive with a GPL license and consequently would provide much more enthusiastic support of whatever Fabrice needs. I'm sure everyone would be willing to help Googlebomb and /. Qemu, right? (Or better yet, help make KQEMU *even better* through many eyes so that it can really reach a new level of success). Sincerely, --Tom P.S. Some press already http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/10/1320231&tid=201&tid=190&tid=1 http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/10/21/176235&tid=93&tid=158 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qemu http://freshmeat.net/projects/qemu/ --------------enig8C4AB9A131F6CEBC323DBB99 Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.0 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFCDD+Mr5+59Mig5g4RAi1xAKDN6H7TJihlY7uqJGHmSaIXCDz5PwCgzJZV h7QO4piIbSEh6Ixg1R54rGw= =mRx+ -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------enig8C4AB9A131F6CEBC323DBB99--