binary only kernel modules [LWN.net]

binary only kernel modules

Posted Nov 2, 2006 20:02 UTC (Thu) by scottt (subscriber, #5028)
In reply to: New distribution: gNewSense 1.0 by JoeBuck
Parent article: New distribution: gNewSense 1.0

The important difference is that Ubuntu is distributing the ATI and Nvidia binary kernel drivers on their CDROM media.
The helps them satisfy user demand but puts the user who loads the module in doubtful legal standing.
Ubuntu's willingness to distribute these binary kernel drivers gives them clear market advantages compared to Fedora, openSUSE and Debian but at what cost ?

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binary only kernel modules

Posted Nov 2, 2006 20:57 UTC (Thu) by arcticwolf (guest, #8341) [Link]

Please don't spread FUD (not even unintentionally). :)

The GPL is explicitely not concerned with how software licensed under it is *used*, so as long as a user does not distribute the combination of the ATI or NVidia drivers with the Linux kernel, they're totally fine and not within any kind of "doubtful legal standing".

The only ones that are are NVidia and ATI themselves, although "doubtful" is probably not strong enough there, given that their drivers definitely *are* derivative works of the Linux kernel and given that, thus, they (that is, ATI and NVidia) do indeed violate the GPL by distributing those drivers.

FWIW, the whole thing might put distros like Fedora etc. that distribute those drivers in doubtful legal standing, too - but the *end users* are safe.

binary only kernel modules

Posted Nov 3, 2006 0:47 UTC (Fri) by drag (subscriber, #31333) [Link]

Yes especially since the FSF stance is more of a moral one then legal.

Even Debian has non-free and contrib repositories. To RMS and Friends this is akin to 'pushing' propriatory software onto users. Instead of, say working on the free gcj stuff, they add propriatory java to non-free and tell people to use that intead.

That sort of thing.

It's nice to have this gNewSense thing. I had the similar thing happen to me between running Debian on my x86 and PowerPC computers.

Now as far as most of Linux goes it's completely identical between the two machines. Even when syncing up my home directories between the two systems I ran into very few incompatabilities.

But non-free software doesn't work on PowerPC generally. So I realy got to see how much I needed propriatory software vs completely free software.

As it turns out I need very very little non-free software. Out of all the drivers and programs that are provided by propriatory software developers the only ones that I use on a regular basis are Flash and Wolfenstien Enemy Territory.

Other then that, thats it. That is the only problems I have with my PPC system.

gNewSense will be nice since it will illistrate what is actually lost if all of a sudden Linux distributions were suddenly completely Free... And the answer for most people is 'not much'.