Messages in this thread | | | Date | Tue, 23 Apr 1996 12:51:56 +0200 (MET DST) | From | Hans Lermen <> | Subject | Re: Must modules be GPL'ed? |
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On Mon, 22 Apr 1996, Janne Peltonen wrote:
> I just read the GPL but I am still unsure whether loadable kernel > modules qualify as work derived from the kernel (FAQ, I know..).
IMHO modules _must_ be GPL'ed. The main points I see are:
1. The inlined kernel functions _are_ part of the kernel code. ( as you already pointed out )
2. The modules in fact don't get _loaded_ but _linked_ into the kernel. Insmod is just a tiny linker, which in principal mimics ld.
> > It appears that modules are frequently thought to be independent > entities that are using kernel services through a well defined > interface.
No, the are not independent, because they got _linked_ (see 2.), they are part of the kernel.
> In that respect, modules are much similar to user mode > programs; they just happen to reside on the other side of a protection > boundary.
Not at all. Modules are _pure kernel code_, they live in kernel space, they run in kernel space, they have direct access to the kernel resources without need of syscall interface (as would have user processes).
Hans <lermen@elserv.ffm.fgan.de>
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