Re: [linux-dvb-maintainer] Re: [PATCH 26/37] dvb: add support for plls used by nxt200x

[Ralph Metzler <rjkm@metzlerbros.de>]

Andreas Oberritter writes:
 > On Fri, 2005-11-04 at 03:46 +0400, Manu Abraham wrote:
 > > We have in the DVB subsystem most of the exported symbols as 
 > > EXPORT_SYMBOL itself, rather than EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL. I think if this 
 > > needs to be changed, we would require a global change of all symbols to 
 > > the same to maintain consistency. If you require that change we can have 
 > > a change but i would think that the discussions be done with the 
 > > relevant copyright holders too, eventhough probably most of the authors 
 > > won't have any objection.
 > 
 > I don't know if I ever contributed code to the DVB subsystem which is
 > actually exported, but in case I did, then I am against changing the
 > affected EXPORT_SYMBOLs.
 > 
 > This would make it impossible to the use source code of most hardware
 > vendors for embedded products because they usually have different
 > licenses for their "run-on-every-embedded-platform-and-even-on-windows"
 > drivers.
 > 
 > Also I remember people telling on lkml that EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL was used
 > for new kernel internal code only and I can't see how this applies to
 > dvb-pll or any other part of the dvb subsystem which grew up outside the
 > kernel tree.


AFAIK, the DVB core is also purposely using an LGPL license to allow
drivers with other licenses to at least use the DVB includes/calls.


Regards,
Ralph