linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 7/7] [v2] drivers/misc: introduce Freescale hypervisor management driver

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-Id: <201106031717.59927.arnd@arndb.de>
Date:	Fri, 3 Jun 2011 17:17:59 +0200
From:	Arnd Bergmann <arnd@...db.de>
To:	Timur Tabi <timur@...escale.com>
Cc:	kumar.gala@...escale.com, benh@...nel.crashing.org, greg@...ah.com,
	akpm@...nel.org, linuxppc-dev@...ts.ozlabs.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, linux-console@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH 7/7] [v2] drivers/misc: introduce Freescale hypervisor management driver

On Friday 03 June 2011, Timur Tabi wrote:
> Arnd Bergmann wrote:
> > For an ioctl, please follow the normal pattern of defining a separate
> > structure for each case, no union.
> > 
> > You can use a void __user * in the common ioctl function, and pass that
> > to the typed argument list in the specific functions.
> 
> I have a GPL question.  This header file is currently licensed under the  GPL v2
> only.  Does that mean that any application that includes this header file so
> that it can talk to the driver/hypervisor also needs to be licensed under the GPL?

If you have a license question, ask your lawyer.

Common answers that you would hear are:

* User space interfaces of the kernel are excluded from the License by the
  "normal system call" exception in linux/COPYING.

* If the header files only contain interfaces but no code, they are not
  copyrighted.

* If you want to ship a copy of the file with a user space application source,
  but have to make it available under multiple licenses to do that, e.g. dual
  GPL/BSD.

	Arnd
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/