the problem please

Posted Oct 7, 2005 18:45 UTC (Fri) by giraffedata (subscriber, #1954) [Link]

obviously these mods are to fix a problem.

I presume the mods you mean are the ones that created EXPORT_GPL_ONLY many years ago.

1. is there a one sentence summary of the problem?

A one sentence summary of the problem would be close to useless, since it is a very complex legal and social problem. But here's my attempt:

People can exploit the open source, free Linux kernel and not contribute back by open sourcing their own code.

Now bear in mind what is said in the article: Many people believe "the mods" don't make this less of a problem. There are some fairly complex legal arguments on either side.

2. is it a problem now or anticipated?

For those who believe it's a problem, it is a problem now and they anticipate it getting bigger in the future. People are shipping binary-only kernel modules today and as the Linux kernel grows, they'll ship even more, exploiting even more open source code, in the future.

3. is this a heavy handed attempt to get others to play fair in the sandbox?

It doesn't seem heavy handed to me, but it is an attempt to get others to play fair in the sandbox.