LinkSys and binary modules [LWN.net]

LinkSys and binary modules

Posted Oct 14, 2003 19:56 UTC (Tue) by proski (subscriber, #104)
Parent article: LinkSys and binary modules

If a Linksys router is considered "a work based on the Program" (i.e. Linux), then the firmware falls under GPL requirements as well. Maybe the hardware blueprints should be GPLed as well. However, the final "regardless of who wrote it" assumes that the work is assumed to be a piece of software.

Hardware manufacturers want to use free software using the most liberal interpretation, but when they release the source, they would prefer the more restrictive version to prevent competitors from reusing their work.

Somebody should compile a list of unclear places in GPL. If there are too many of them, maybe GPL should be just forked into the "soft" and the "hard" versions. It's important that everybody plays by the same rules, whatever they are. If it happens, I expect Linux to use the "soft" version, while such projecvts as Qt and MySQL will most likely stick with the "hard" variant.

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LinkSys and binary modules

Posted Oct 14, 2003 20:24 UTC (Tue) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]

There are two cases: burning the Linux kernel and other programs into a ROM, or having a driver load firmware into a completely separate processor, such as the DSP chip in a modem or onto an external graphics processor.

In the latter case, from the point of view of the kernel, firmware is data, or, to use the language from the GPL, "can be reasonably considered independent and separate works", since the identical firmware is loaded by a Linux or a Windows kernel. Even RMS would not argue that the GPL requires firmware to be GPLed in such a case.

Of course, the Debian folks might well decide that non-free firmware violates the DFSG, but that's a separate matter.

Now, in the former case, if the ROM can't be altered, then one could argue that we can't even call the user programs separate works any more and the vendor would need to provide source for the whole thing.

LinkSys and binary modules

Posted Oct 14, 2003 23:14 UTC (Tue) by vmole (guest, #111) [Link]

Just to clarify:

Of course, the Debian folks might well decide that non-free firmware violates the DFSG, but that's a separate matter.

Note that the DFSG argument is strictly based on us shipping free software: binary code loaded into a DSP just doesn't qualify. We don't claim that the the fact that it's mixed up with a kernel driver inherently violates the GPL. It's purely a Debian thing.