Re: Why is Nvidia given GPL'd code to use in closed source drivers?

Paul Jakma
2003-01-02T01:22:42Z

On Wed, 1 Jan 2003, David Lang wrote:

> well libc uses the kernel headers and basicly all userspace programs
> use libc so that makes oracle a derivitive work of the kernel??????

libc neednt neccessarily use the kernel headers, it needs to use only
headers that are compatible. Also, though it might use kernel headers,
the headers it provides for other programmes to be compiled against it
are not kernel headers.

further, the kernel's licence explicitely exempts the 'normal system
calls', and kernel headers describing these can quite arguably be
considered to fall within this exemption.

> luckly that's not how things actually work.

unfortunately, its not at all clear.

> David Lang

regards,
--
Paul Jakma Sys Admin Alphyra
paulj@alphyra.ie
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