linux-kernel - Re: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more Driver core patches for 2.6.19]

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Date:	Thu, 14 Dec 2006 20:29:47 +0100
From:	Michael Buesch <mb@...sch.de>
To:	Ben Collins <ben.collins@...ntu.com>
Cc:	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...l.org>, Greg KH <gregkh@...e.de>,
	Jonathan Corbet <corbet@....net>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...l.org>,
	"Michael K. Edwards" <medwards.linux@...il.com>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, "Martin J. Bligh" <mbligh@...igh.org>
Subject: Re: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more Driver core patches for 2.6.19]

On Thursday 14 December 2006 15:12, Ben Collins wrote:
> You can't talk about drivers that don't exist for Linux. Things like
> bcm43xx aren't effected by this new restriction for GPL-only drivers.
> There's no binary-only driver for it (ndiswrapper doesn't count). If the
> hardware vendor doesn't want to write a driver for linux, you can't make
> them. You can buy other hardware, but that's about it.

Not that is matters in this discussion, but there are binary Broadcom
43xx drivers for linux available.

> Here's the list of proprietary drivers that are in Ubuntu's restricted
> modules package:
> 
> 	madwifi (closed hal implementation, being replaced in openhal)
> 	fritz

Well, that's not just one, right?
That's like, 10 or so for the different AVM cards.
I'm just estimating. Correct me, if I'm wrong.

(And if I didn't mention it yet; AVM binary drivers are
complete crap.)

> 	ati
> 	nvidia
> 	ltmodem (does that even still work?)
> 	ipw3945d (not a kernel module, but just the daemon)

> Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing reverse engineering, or writing our
> own drivers. It's how Linux got started. But the problem isn't as narrow
> as people would like to think. And proprietary code isn't a growing
> problem. At best, it's just a distraction that will eventually go away
> on it's own.

Well, I _hope_ that, too.

-- 
Greetings Michael.
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