Re: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario

Ralf Baechle
2005-12-06T13:28:51Z

On Tue, Dec 06, 2005 at 12:24:42AM +0100, Matthieu CASTET wrote:

> > What if.. what if the linux kernel developers tomorrow accept that
> > binary modules are OK and are essential for the progress of linux.
> >
> [...]
> > Now this scenario may sound unlikely to you. And thankfully the main
> > assumption (the December 6th event) is extremely unlikely.
> >
> > However, and this unfortunately, several of the other "leaps" aren't
> > that unlikely. In fact, some of these results are likely to happen
> > regardless; witness the flamewars on lkml about breaking module API/ABI.
> > Witness the ndiswrapper effect of vendors now saying "we support linux
> > because ndiswrapper can use our windows driver". I hope they won't
> > happen. Some of that hope will be idle hope, but I believe that the
> > advantages of freedom in the end are strong enough to overcome the
> > counter forces.
> And some embedded companies provide the minimal source code to put
> in arch and everything else (ethernet, adsl, wifi, ...) is binaries
> modules.

Provide a one time source drop to show what good GPL citizen they are,
then let it rot away making sure the average user will have to pay their
bill ...

Ralf