linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 2/3] UIO: Documentation

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Date:	Wed, 8 Aug 2007 23:36:00 +0200
From:	"Jesper Juhl" <jesper.juhl@...il.com>
To:	"Greg Kroah-Hartman" <gregkh@...e.de>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, "Hans J. Koch" <hjk@...utronix.de>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 2/3] UIO: Documentation

On 19/07/2007, Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@...e.de> wrote:
> From: Hans J. Koch <hjk@...utronix.de>
>
> Documentation for the UIO interface
>
...
> +<para>If you use UIO for your card's driver, here's what you get:</para>
> +
...
> +<listitem>
> +       <para>if you need to keep some parts of your driver closed source,
> +       you can do so without violating the GPL license on the kernel.</para>
> +</listitem>
> +</itemizedlist>
> +
...

Do we really want this?

In my oppinion we run the risk here of encouraging behaviour akin to
what NVidia is doing - release a small kernel "glue" module and then
keep the driver proper in a binary blob (in userspace, but still a
binary blob).
If the company goes out of business and take their driver source with
them then users are left with a useless, un-debugable, un-maintainable
binary blob.
Don't we instead want to encourage/pressure people to release specs
and/or source code for their hardware/drivers so open, modifiable
drivers can be written?

This opens the door for people to start writing closed drivers. In the
long run that seems to me like a bad deal for our users.

-- 
Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@...il.com>
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