Re: ZFS with Linux: An Open Plea

Mike Snitzer
2007-04-17T16:02:30Z

On 4/17/07, Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk> wrote:
> > So who is responsible for potential changing Linux code licensing for
> > allow if not incorporate CDDL code correct interraction without breaking
> > some law ?
>
> Every single contributor, individually. Which won't happen.
>
> The real test of whether Sun were serious about ZFS being anywhere but
> Solaris is what they do to license it - they've patented everything they
> can, and made the code available only under licenses incompatible with
> other OS products. Their intent is quite clear, and quite sad.
>
> Compare it to what the old Sun company did with NFS, which is now a
> standard used everywhere.
>
> If Sun want ZFS to get used all over the place in free software then I'd
> have expected at the very least to see them throw out a copy of the code,
> docs and patent grant in a form that could be used, even if it came with
> no other assistance of any kind. Now would be a great time to do that,
> but I can't see it happening, instead they'll miss the boat just as
> microsoft did with Office XML (three years ago they'd have sailed it
> through ISO to the sound of fanfairs)

Maybe Ian Murdock could weigh in on this given his new position at Sun. Ian?

BTW, congrats on the new gig...