Yes, there are differences between Gingerbread and ICS kernels, though I don't know what they are (other than moving to a 3.x kernel). From what I understand, t

Yes, there are differences between Gingerbread and ICS kernels, though I don't know what they are (other than moving to a 3.x kernel). From what I understand, this is one of the reasons CM9 development has been slow in general (and particularly slow for some devices). That being said, you're right that Samsung's prompt GPL compliance isn't particularly newsworthy. The recent, newsworthy source release is HTC's. They released the ICS kernel source for the Sensation promptly, without their typical "not until you've waited a few months and threatened a lawsuit" nonsense. Hopefully that trend continues.