On Monday 22 January 2007 15:55, Jon Pruente wrote:
On 1/22/07, Luke -Jr luke@dashjr.org wrote:
That's why companies like nVidia and ATi continue to violate the licensing terms on Linux...
I still have yet to see someone point out where the licensing terms of Linux preclude the use of binary drivers. I'm not aware of them using any GPL code and disclosing it, but I do know of them releasing closed code drivers. Closed code is not against the Linux license, AFAIK, so long as that code does not include code from an Open license, such as the GPL. Where is it written that closed binary drivers are against the GPL? They may be against the spirit of it, but not against the actual terms.
Nobody disputes that the code links to Linux, which the GPL forbids. By using internal, unfixed function calls, it is also a derivative work.
The GPL forbids linking (of any kind) with incompatibly licensed code.