Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 03:41:59 -0800 From: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au> To: "Richard Seaman, Jr." <lists@tar.com> Cc: "Nate Williams" <nate@mt.sri.com>, "current@freebsd.org" <current@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: Linux Threads patches available Message-ID: <199812161142.DAA00321@dingo.cdrom.com> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 15 Dec 1998 17:18:03 CST." <199812152318.RAA06787@ns.tar.com>
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> On Tue, 15 Dec 1998 15:53:03 -0700, Nate Williams wrote: > > >Is this code GPL, or BSD copyrighted? If the former, then it can't be a > >'normal' part of the kernel. It also has alot of implications for the > >many vendors who use FreeBSD as an embedded system. > > The kernel patches are not GPL copyrighted. They're just patches > to the existing FreeBSD kernel without any additional copyright > restriction. Perhaps I should have added that I think the kernel > patches included here, or something like them, will be needed with > just about any "kernel threads" implementation. I've had a (quick) look at your current webpage; thanks for collecting all this in one place. Would you care to summarise the changes in a little more detail, and perhaps sort them into 'non-intrusive' and 'intrusive' groups so that we can commit the first set and do whatever needs to be done to resolve any problems with the second ASAP? > The patches allow kernel threads signal handling to move much closer > to the posix requirements, but doesn't quite go all the way (linux > doesn't either at this point). The patches also implement the linux > "clone" call using rfork, and make changes to the linux_mmap and > linux_wait calls in the linux emulation module. I notice that you mention that the posix realtime support is "probably" required for the Linux threads stuff to work; can you confirm this, and perhaps talk to Peter Dufault (dufault@freebsd.org) about what can be done to either ratify and incorporate this code unconditionally, or (perhaps better) to move it into a KLD module on which the Linux module can then depend? > However the Linux Threads code is GPL copyrighted. The additional > code provided in separate files needed to get the port working, > is not GPL copyrighted. However, none of this code goes into > the kernel, its all in a library. ... which would be an excellent candidate for a port/package. > This was beyond my capabilities and interest. When Brian Feldman posted > his patches, which were close to working, it appeared to me that a > port of linux threads could be a "quick fix" for kernel threads, > while someone, eventually, does the real thing for FreeBSD. Its > one-to-one kernel threads, but there's not much that needs to be > changed in the threads library itself. For the sake of reestablishing our compatibility with Linux, I think that your current code should be strongly considered. As for the eventual fate of threading in the FreeBSD kernel, we're still really dependant on the availibility of development resources here, either in the form of willing and able volunteers or funding which would allow us to secure the individuals able to do the work. -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message
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