Date: Sat, 27 Jul 2002 17:49:38 +0100 From: Matthew Seaman <m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk> To: Samuel Chow <cyschow@shaw.ca> Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: converting linux kernel modules to bsd modules Message-ID: <20020727164938.GC856@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophi> In-Reply-To: <002001c23581$27f1b340$0601a8c0@samuelstn.dhs.org> References: <20020726231211.56809.qmail@web20706.mail.yahoo.com> <20020727101644.GB32984@happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophi> <002001c23581$27f1b340$0601a8c0@samuelstn.dhs.org>
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On Sat, Jul 27, 2002 at 09:20:35AM -0600, Samuel Chow wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Matthew Seaman" <m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk> > > > > The good news is that having all the source from a Linux kernel module > > should tell you practically everything you need to know to write an > > equivalent BSD module. > > > > If you're intending to release the module, be careful about licensing. > > In order for a module to be included into the core system, it has to > > be released under an appropriate BSD style license --- not the GPL. > > Which means that you can't reuse any GPL'd code from the Linux module. > > I actually was thinking about this the other day. If the > driver is manipulating bits in a register, there aren't > that many ways to do it. Also, some hardware have exactly > one initialization sequence. Wouldn't that make the driver > appears to be derived from the GPL'd code when it is not? Yes, that could be a problem. However, that sort of information is usually published in the manufacturer's technical manuals. If they make it available without requiring license fees or signature of non-disclosure agreements, then you can freely use that information to write your own driver code, and if it happens that specific bit of your code appears very similar to someone else's code, then that is just a coincidence. You could also check with the author of the Linux code, and get them to confirm that the work was substantially your own. Bits of code and algorithms and stuff generally get copied around between the open source OS's all the time. So long as proper credit is given to the original authors, it's usually not a problem: after all, why did they write and release the open source code in the first place? I don't think there has ever been an incident of anyone attempting to pass off stolen GPL'd code as BSD licensed code and get it incorporated into one of the *BSD's. On the other hand, in exactly the sort of incident you're talking about, some of Soren Schmidt's code did mysteriously turn up in Linux land --- http://bsd.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/09/24/1432223&mode=thread&tid=106 --- which would actually have been perfectly alright if the BSD copyright notice and Soren's name as copyright holder had been preserved on the files. Cheers, Matthew -- Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 26 The Paddocks Savill Way Tel: +44 1628 476614 Marlow Fax: +44 0870 0522645 Bucks., SL7 1TH UK To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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