Linux, binary blob and binary driver summary for vendors?
What is a good and also technically detailed summary of the binary blob and driver issues with Linux kernel and GPL?
I'd like to refer a vendor to some documentation regarding this instead writing a ton of text with IANAL everywhere.
Thanks,
-Mikko
Quoted 5 lines · On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 16:42:12 +0300 Mikko Rapeli <[email protected]> wrote:
What is a good and also technically detailed summary of the binary blob and driver issues with Linux kernel and GPL?
I'd like to refer a vendor to some documentation regarding this instead writing a ton of text with IANAL everywhere.
I would suggest they talk to the Linux Foundation. It's basically a legal question around derivative works, and that's a lawyer question that tends to need looking at by lawyers per piece of code.
Aside from that there are technical, marketing and PR things to consider.
Alan
Quoted 6 lines · Alan Cox
Quoted 3 lines · On Mon, 1 Aug 2011 16:42:12 +0300 Mikko Rapeli <[email protected]> wrote:
What is a good and also technically detailed summary of the binary blob and driver issues with Linux kernel and GPL?
Quoted 6 lines
Quoted 2 lines
I'd like to refer a vendor to some documentation regarding this instead writing a ton of text with IANAL everywhere.
I would suggest they talk to the Linux Foundation. It's basically a legal question around derivative works, and that's a lawyer question that tends to need looking at by lawyers per piece of code.
Good point, thanks.
Quoted 1 line
Aside from that there are technical, marketing and PR things to consider.
For the technical issues I've found Documentation/stable_api_nonsense.txt and these links:
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/collaborate/workgroups/technical-advisory-board-tab/lfstatement
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_blob
These should be enough to start. Next question will hopefully be answered by the staging tree.
-Mikko