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Weblog:   Is Linksys shirking the GPL? (Maybe not.)
Subject:   autoconf and an itchy trigger finger
Date:   2003-07-31 11:34:47
From:   anonymous2
Response to: autoconf and an itchy trigger finger

Well, with respect to Zebra you may be correct. However, we over at the "The Linux Broadcom 4301 Driver Project" (http://linux-bcom4301.sourceforge.net) were the ones that exposed Linksys initially. Their released "source" is bogus. The Broadcom driver that ships with the router relies upon specific routines that Linksys put into their modified kernel. The source of the kernel released by Linksys DOES NOT contain these routines. Basically, Linksys is shipping a modified kernel -- which definitely isn't in "user space" and a cannot be claimed to be exempt from GPL -- and yet the kernel source they posted is a generic kernel missing all of these modifications.


Brett Wooldridge
"The Linux Broadcom 4301 Driver Project"
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Showing messages 1 through 2 of 2.

  • autoconf and an itchy trigger finger
    2003-08-01 04:32:52  anonymous2 [View]

    since when was it a violation of the GPL to release closed-source kernel modules? ever heard of nvidia? ati? surely any part of the kernel which contained these "routines" (care to share them with us so we have some information to go on?) could be modularized and modified or rewritten.
    • autoconf and an itchy trigger finger
      2003-08-18 13:26:58  anonymous2 [View]

      The point of the GPL is that I could modify the Linux kernel 2.4.5 to suit my needs, recompile it (if I have the proper compiler, that's another story), and still link with the closed-source modules. For instance if I want better IPv6 support with USAGI. Currently I can't. It's a violation of the spirit and letter of the GPL.
Showing messages 1 through 2 of 2.