RE: Linux GPL and binary module exception clause?

Andre Hedrick
2003-12-10T23:05:22Z

Ingo,

I suggest asking FSF how they play with GPL+another license.
They will tell you GPL can not co-exist, period.

The reply is a double bounce back of ideas.

Jason,

What you are really saying is the Linux does not have a GPL license.
It has a GPL-like or LKL.

Linux Kernel License.

Hmmm, new thought ...

I will be kind to it because it is in a strange place :-)

Cheers,

Andre Hedrick
LAD Storage Consulting Group

On Wed, 10 Dec 2003, Ingo Molnar wrote:

>
> On Wed, 10 Dec 2003, Andre Hedrick wrote:
>
> > I have and the lawyers tell me that it is one or the other and can not
> > be both. So explain to me how a GPL/BSD or BSD/GPL works again?
>
> ugh. Are your lawyers saying that the tons of dual-licensed code is not a
> valid license? Seems like your lawyers disagree with lots of other
> lawyers.
>
> > Also if one does an md5sum on the "COPYING" file from FSF and compares
> > it from the one in the kernel source they differ.
>
> here's the (trivial) diff. Draw your own conclusions.
>
> --- libc/COPYING 2001-07-06 07:57:07.000000000 +0200
> +++ v/COPYING 2003-11-23 13:21:58.000000000 +0100
> @@ -1,3 +1,19 @@
> +
> + NOTE! This copyright does *not* cover user programs that use kernel
> + services by normal system calls - this is merely considered normal use
> + of the kernel, and does *not* fall under the heading of "derived work".
> + Also note that the GPL below is copyrighted by the Free Software
> + Foundation, but the instance of code that it refers to (the Linux
> + kernel) is copyrighted by me and others who actually wrote it.
> +
> + Also note that the only valid version of the GPL as far as the kernel
> + is concerned is _this_ particular version of the license (ie v2, not
> + v2.2 or v3.x or whatever), unless explicitly otherwise stated.
> +
> + Linus Torvalds
> +
> +----------------------------------------
> +
> GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
> Version 2, June 1991
>
> -
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