ZFS.

Bojan Smojver bojan at rexursive.com
Fri Nov 18 05:28:24 UTC 2005


Quoting Naoki <naoki at valuecommerce.com>:

> So does anybody know if the CDDL restricts the ability for it reaching
> the main kernel?

Absolutely. CDDL is incompatible with the GPL (as a copyright licence), 
because it puts additional restrictions on the code that don't exist in 
the GPL. Also, ZFS may include Sun patents that are licensed through 
the CDDL for that code _only_ (i.e. Sun ZFS code, most likely in its 
unmodified form). Meaning, even creating a "clone" (i.e. a different, 
functionally equivalent implementation) may be a problem (depending on 
the existence of Sun patents inside ZFS).

> And anybody else think it would be a really cool
> addition?

Sure. But don't keep you hopes up. Unless Sun release ZFS under the GPL 
(fat chance, pigs flying etc.), it won't be part of Linux any time 
soon. The other option is that Linux gets relicensed under, say GPL3 
(which doesn't exist yet and may not be compatible with CDDL anyway). 
This is close to impossible, because not all copyright holders in the 
Linux kernel can (or would) give their permission for such a change.

-- 
Bojan




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