Re: [PATCH 2/3] UIO: Documentation

["Jesper Juhl" <jesper.juhl@gmail.com>]

On 09/08/2007, Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu <Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu> wrote:
> On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 23:36:00 +0200, Jesper Juhl said:
>
> > Do we really want this?
> >
> > In my oppinion we run the risk here of encouraging behaviour akin to
> > what NVidia is doing - release a small kernel "glue" module and then
> > keep the driver proper in a binary blob (in userspace, but still a
> > binary blob).
> > If the company goes out of business and take their driver source with
> > them then users are left with a useless, un-debugable, un-maintainable
> > binary blob.
> > Don't we instead want to encourage/pressure people to release specs
> > and/or source code for their hardware/drivers so open, modifiable
> > drivers can be written?
> >
> > This opens the door for people to start writing closed drivers. In the
> > long run that seems to me like a bad deal for our users.
>
> On the other hand, given that we've always said that closed-source stuff in
> userspace is OK, the only way to not let *that* horse out of the barn is to
> not merge UIO at all.
>
Exactely.

> If you have UIO in the kernel talking to stuff in userspace, you're going to
> have to deal with closed-source stuff at the userspace end of the pipe.
>
Naturally.
I just wanted to get people to think about whether or not this is
something that we are willing to accept for device drivers - I guess
it is since UIO is already merged - I just think it's a potential step
back in terms of encouraging open source drivers for Linux, that's
all.

> Unless somebody can come up with some great feat of sophistry to avoid that?
>
I think the only way to avoid it is to not provide something like UIO.

-- 
Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@gmail.com>
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