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OpenZFS ! I can't see why this has blown up as a violation when people didn't actually read the announcement. EDIT : ZFS is licensed under the Common Developm

by baldfat 11y ago

OpenZFS ! I can't see why this has blown up as a violation when people didn't actually read the announcement. EDIT : ZFS is licensed under the Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL), and the Linux kernel is licensed under the GNU General Public License Version 2 (GPLv2). While both are free open source licenses they are restrictive licenses. The combination of them causes problems because it prevents using pieces of code exclusively available under one license with pieces of code exclusively available under the other in the same binary. In the case of the kernel, this prevents us from distributing ZFS as part of the kernel binary. However, there is nothing in either license that prevents distributing it in the form of a binary module or in the form of source code. http://open-zfs.org/wiki/Main_Page http://open-zfs.org/wiki/Main_Page

throwaway2048 11y ago
OpenZFS is CDDL liscensed and GPL incompatable.
- ryao 11y ago
  Only if you build it into the kernel binary image loaded by the bootloader. Otherwise, it is an independent module.
- jackbravo 11y ago
  Here is another post from the parent about this issue specificaly: - http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2016/02/zfs-licensing-and-linux.html http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2016/02/zfs-licensing-and-lin... "We at Canonical have conducted a legal review, including discussion with the industry's leading software freedom legal counsel, of the licenses that apply to the Linux kernel and to ZFS. And in doing so, we have concluded that we are acting within the rights granted and in compliance with their terms of both of those licenses."
- baldfat 11y ago
  > However, there is nothing in either license CDDL GPL that prevents distributing it in the form of a binary module or in the form of source code. http://zfsonlinux.org/faq.html#WhatAboutTheLicensingIss http://zfsonlinux.org/faq.html#WhatAboutTheLicensingIss
  - mjg59 11y ago
    This would be true if the resulting work were not a derivative work of the GPLed kernel. There's plenty of solid legal opinion that it is, and if you accept that then the GPL absolutely prevents distributing it in the form of a binary module.
  - l1ambda 11y ago
    "And zfs.ko, as a self-contained file system module, is clearly not a derivative work of the Linux kernel but rather quite obviously a derivative work of OpenZFS and OpenSolaris. Equivalent exceptions have existed for many years, for various other stand alone, self-contained, non-GPL and even proprietary (hi, nvidia.ko) kernel modules."
  - TimWolla 11y ago
    Sorry, I downvoted you by accident, while focusing my browser window.

by baldfat 11y ago

throwaway2048 11y ago

OpenZFS is CDDL liscensed and GPL incompatable.

ryao 11y ago
Only if you build it into the kernel binary image loaded by the bootloader. Otherwise, it is an independent module.
jackbravo 11y ago
Here is another post from the parent about this issue specificaly: - http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2016/02/zfs-licensing-and-linux.html http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2016/02/zfs-licensing-and-lin... "We at Canonical have conducted a legal review, including discussion with the industry's leading software freedom legal counsel, of the licenses that apply to the Linux kernel and to ZFS. And in doing so, we have concluded that we are acting within the rights granted and in compliance with their terms of both of those licenses."
baldfat 11y ago
> However, there is nothing in either license CDDL GPL that prevents distributing it in the form of a binary module or in the form of source code. http://zfsonlinux.org/faq.html#WhatAboutTheLicensingIss http://zfsonlinux.org/faq.html#WhatAboutTheLicensingIss
- mjg59 11y ago
  This would be true if the resulting work were not a derivative work of the GPLed kernel. There's plenty of solid legal opinion that it is, and if you accept that then the GPL absolutely prevents distributing it in the form of a binary module.
- l1ambda 11y ago
  "And zfs.ko, as a self-contained file system module, is clearly not a derivative work of the Linux kernel but rather quite obviously a derivative work of OpenZFS and OpenSolaris. Equivalent exceptions have existed for many years, for various other stand alone, self-contained, non-GPL and even proprietary (hi, nvidia.ko) kernel modules."
- TimWolla 11y ago
  Sorry, I downvoted you by accident, while focusing my browser window.