>>>>> "gd" == Garrett D'Amore <garr...@nexenta.com> writes:
>> Joerg is correct that CDDL code can legally live right
>> alongside the GPLv2 kernel code and run in the same program.
gd> My understanding is that no, this is not possible.
GPLv2 and CDDL are incompatible:
http://www.fsf.org/licensing/education/licenses/index_html/#GPLIncompatibleLicenses
however Linus's ``interpretation'' of the GPL considers that 'insmod'
is ``mere aggregation'' and not ``linking'', but subject to rules of
``bad taste''. Although this may sound ridiculous, there are blob
drivers for wireless chips, video cards, and storage controllers
relying on this ``interpretation'' for over a decade. I think a ZFS
porting project could do the same and end up emitting the same warning
about a ``tained'' kernel that proprietary modules do:
http://lwn.net/Articles/147070/
the quickest link I found of Linus actually speaking about his
``interpretation'', his thoughts are IMHO completely muddled (which
might be intentional):
http://lkml.org/lkml/2003/12/3/228
thus ultimately I think the question of whether it's legal or not
isn't very interesting compared to ``is it moral?'' (what some of us
might care about), and ``is it likely to survive long enough and not
blow back in your face fiercely enough that it's a good enough
business case to get funded somehow?'' (the question all the hardware
manufacturers shipping blob drivers presumably asked themselves)
My own view on blob modules is:
* that it's immoral, and that Linus is both taking the wrong position
and doing it without authority. Even if his position is
``everyone, please let's not fight,'' in practice that is a strong
position favouring GPL violation, and his squirrelyness may look
like taking a soft view but in practice it throws so much sand into
the debate it ends up being actually a much stronger position than
saying outright, ``I think insmod is mere aggregation.'' My
copyright shouldn't have to bow to your celebrity.
* and secondly that it does make business sense and is unlikely to
cause any problems, because no one is able to challenge his
authority.
Whatever is the view on binary blob modules, I think it's the same
view on ZFS w.r.t. the law, but not necessarily the same view
w.r.t. morality or business, because the copyright law itself is
immoral according to the views of many and the business risk depends
on how much you piss people off.
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