From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932730AbWLNNqn (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:46:43 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932731AbWLNNqn (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:46:43 -0500 Received: from adelie.ubuntu.com ([82.211.81.139]:40306 "EHLO adelie.ubuntu.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S932730AbWLNNqm (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:46:42 -0500 Subject: Re: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more Driver core patches for 2.6.19] From: Ben Collins To: Linus Torvalds Cc: Greg KH , Jonathan Corbet , Andrew Morton , Martin Bligh , "Michael K. Edwards" , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org In-Reply-To: References: <20061214003246.GA12162@suse.de> <22299.1166057009@lwn.net> <20061214005532.GA12790@suse.de> Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 08:46:15 -0500 Message-Id: <1166103975.6748.190.camel@gullible> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.8.1 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org > So go get it merged in the Ubuntu, (Open)SuSE and RHEL and Fedora trees > first. This is not something where we use my tree as a way to get it to > other trees. This is something where the push had better come from the > other direction. I can probably speak for Ubuntu in saying we wont include any sort of patch like this unless it's forced on us. I have to agree with your your whole statement. The gradual changes to lock down kernel modules to a particular license(s) tends to mirror the slow lock down of content (music/movies) that people complain about so loudly. It's basically becoming DRM for code. I don't think anyone ever expected technical mechanisms to be developed to enforce the GPL. It's sort of counter intuitive to why the GPL exists, which is to free the code. Let the licenses and lawyers fight to protect the code. The code doesn't need to do that itself. It's got better things to do.