Messages in this thread | | | Date | Tue, 12 Apr 2005 18:32:14 -0700 | From | "Paul E. McKenney" <> | Subject | Re: 2.6.12-rc2-mm2 |
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On Wed, Apr 13, 2005 at 02:36:04AM +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote: > On Mon, Apr 11, 2005 at 08:18:32AM -0700, Paul E. McKenney wrote: > > On Mon, Apr 11, 2005 at 12:48:34AM +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote: > > > kernel-rcupdatec-make-the-exports-export_symbol_gpl.patch > > > add-deprecated_for_modules.patch > > > add-deprecated_for_modules-fix.patch > > > deprecate-synchronize_kernel-gpl-replacement.patch > > > deprecate-synchronize_kernel-gpl-replacement-fix.patch > > > change-synchronize_kernel-to-_rcu-and-_sched.patch > > > > > > > > > Please drop these patches. > > > > Please keep them! > > > > > Using these symbols in non-GPL modules is a legal problem at least in > > > the USA except for IBM, > > > > Again, based on what line of reasoning? Again, the obvious lines > > of reasoning do not apply. > > Shouldn't the IBM patents be enough reason to prevent everyone except > IBM from using RCU in non-GPL modules?
Not necessarily, at least according to the lawyers that I talk to.
> > > and all we've heard from IBM is that they are > > > not 100% sure that there is really no binary-only module by IBM that > > > might use these symbols. > > > > >From my earlier message (http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/4/4/244): > > > > Agreed, in that I know of no binary module that uses RCU. However, > > I cannot -prove- that there is no such module. > > > > IOW, I am also not 100% sure that there is really no binary-only module > > using these symbols by -anyone-, including someone -other- than IBM. > > In addition, I know of no way that -anyone- could possibly be 100% sure > > that there is really no binary-only module using symbols. Hence the > > approach of providing the year "grace period" before transitioning to > > EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(). > >... > > If kernel development was based on the assumption that every change that > might break binary-only modules would need a one year "grace period", it > was much different from how it's today...
This is not "every change", but a specific change, and a rather unusual one at that.
Thanx, Paul
> cu > Adrian > > -- > > "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out > of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days. > "Only a promise," Lao Er said. > Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed > > - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
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