Re: [PATCH 1/2] powerpc: export ppc_tb_freq so that modules can reference it

[Josh Boyer <jwboyer@gmail.com>]

On Sat, Sep 18, 2010 at 1:36 PM, Tabi Timur-B04825 <B04825@freescale.com> w=
rote:
> Josh Boyer wrote:
>> It is not, in my opinion, about what is technically possible and what
>> isn't.=A0 The kernel is licensed under the GPL.=A0 This is a Linux kerne=
l
>> only symbol.=A0 One would be hard pressed to claim they have a driver
>> that wasn't written for Linux that happens to need that symbol.=A0 As a
>> member of the Linux kernel community, I find it important to encourage
>> the contribution of code back to the kernel, and this is one way to
>> help that.=A0 This isn't BSD.
>
> Fine, but this goes back to my original question -- if this is how the
> community feels, then why hasn't someone posted a patch that converts all
> EXPORT_SYMBOL into EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL?

Because of history in a lot of cases, and like all communities,
opinions vary.  I did say this was my opinion, not a mandate of some
sort.

> Either we allow non-GPL drivers, or we don't.=A0 If we don't, then we nee=
d to
> eliminate EXPORT_SYMBOL once and for all.=A0 Otherwise, the message is
> hypocritical.

I'd be all for it.  I don't think it is as black and white as that
though, as nothing rarely is.  (we can't even get all the code to
adhere to the < 80 column "rule" ).  I also don't think it is
necessarily hypocritical.  This is a new symbol being exported, not
one that has been exported for years.

josh