Re: Closed source modules will be banned from kernel?

[Alan Cox <alan lxorguk ukuu org uk>]

> Closed source kernel drivers would not be allowed to run under new kernels?

You'd need to ask a lawyer but a lot of us take the view that they are
not anyway.

> Does this mean that a new nvidia driver would not work anymore :(

No. The statement is a position, not a decree from on high, and even if
it was a decree from on high (which wouldn't occur) you could change the
source to undo it ;)

> I also understand that kernel developers would build drivers for companies if they asked, what about if a company died out, would that offer hold?

If there is sufficient documentation to write a driver there are people
who want to write drivers for stuff. It doesn't really matter whether the
hardware is without a vendor or not.

> Thank you for any answers provided (good or bad).  The users need to be informed and then later find out that binary drivers would not be allowed, unless one builds a custom kernel? or does that matter here?

Binary modules usually last only a few releases before changes in the
kernel break them by accident anyway so I would assume that if a binary
driver vendor goes under the clock is ticking.

Alan