linux-kernel - Re: GPL vs non-GPL device drivers

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Message-ID: <9b3a62ab0702142246r7e4eac4bv26c2ed46ff588871@mail.gmail.com>
Date:	Wed, 14 Feb 2007 22:46:13 -0800
From:	"v j" <vj.linux@...il.com>
To:	"Trent Waddington" <trent.waddington@...il.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: GPL vs non-GPL device drivers

You don't get it do you. Our source code is meaningless to the Open
Source community at large. It is only useful to our tiny set of
competitors that have nothing to do with Linux. The Embedded space is
very specific. We are only _using_ Linux. Just as we could have used
VxWorks or OSE. Using our source code would not benefit anybody but
our competitors. Sure we could make our drivers open-source. This is a
decision that is made FIRST when evaluating an OS. If we we were
required to make our drivers/HW open, we would just not have chosen
Linux. It is as simple as that.

On 2/14/07, Trent Waddington <trent.waddington@...il.com> wrote:
> On 2/15/07, v j <vj.linux@...il.com> wrote:
> > This has nothing to do with politics. I am not a Linux contributor.
>
> Here-in lies the problem.  I am one of the few people willing to state
> openly that I wish those who can, would use their legal claims to stop
> people like you from writing proprietary drivers.  Although you (or
> your company) clearly has the ability to contribute to Linux, you have
> chosen not to.  Instead, you just leach off those that do.  As such, I
> believe you and your ilk are ethically deplorable and the fact that
> you would come here to try to point out to the contributors that they
> are going to lose people like you if they don't stop "threatening"
> your drivers not only baffles me, it sickens me.
>
> At least with NVIDIA and ATI they're not actually profiting from the
> existence of Linux, but you're actually selling the stuff and you
> don't even consider the very reasonable proposition of sharing your
> source code in return.  It's not like they're asking for money.. man,
> this is the Linux project, they don't even ask for copyright
> assignment or allegiance to an ideology..
>
> Do the right thing, cough up your source code, get it integrated into
> the tree and let the community do what it does so well.
>
> Trent
>
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