Re: [RFC] Small PCI core patch

Matthieu CASTET
2005-11-22T18:31:56Z

Hi,

Le Mon, 21 Nov 2005 15:01:41 -0800, Greg KH a écrit :

> If you, or your company is relying on closed source kernel modules, your
> days are numbered. And what are you going to do, and how are you going
> to explain things to your bosses and your customers, if possibly,
> something like this patch were to be accepted?
>
Why not make a crappy GPL driver that just export again
the symbols ?

MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");

pci_bus_read_config_byte_binary (....)
{
pci_bus_read_config_byte(...)
}
EXPORT_SYMBOL(pci_bus_read_config_byte_binary);

[...]

Also why as an embeded company I can't remove the licence check in the
kernel I provide to my custommers.

No software tricks could force the company to use GPL because GPL allows
you to remove or short-cut these tricks.

Only the law can do something about softwares that don't comply to GPL
license...
It would be great if big companies that use Linux (OSDL, IBM, ...)
proposes a poll of lawyers which could do something like gpl-violations
(check if some softwares violate the GPL, if yes contact the copyright
holders, and if the developpers accept represent them).

Matthieu