[Discuss] Home NAS redux

[blu at nedharvey.com (Edward Ned Harvey (blu))]

> From: Mark Woodward [mailto:markw at mohawksoft.com]
> 
> Well, I personally dislike the lack of freedom in the license and the
> fact that I can't, according to the license, create a proper kernel
> module. It has to be used as a FUSE system and that isn't acceptable.

This is like saying to someone, "I don't like your car, because I don't like Toyota."  But their car is a Ford, and yours is a Toyota.  

You say you can't, "according to the license," create the kernel module.  You were talking about CDDL, but that restriction isn't placed by CDDL.  That is a GPL restriction.  

I was just skimming back over this thread, and I realized this comment means you haven't actually read the CDDL, nor do you have any understanding of what the ZFS vs Linux incompatibilities are. 

The incompatibility is caused by GPL explicitly stating that your compiled binary must be composed entirely from GPL compatible sources and subsequently distributed under GPL compatible terms, and you must prohibit all your recipients from distributing under non-GPL compatible terms.  While CDDL explicitly states that you may build a binary using partially non-CDDL compatible sources, and you may distribute that binary under a different license, provided that the CDDL components remain open and available, and you must grant your downstream receivers the same permissions. 

It is impossible for you to simultaneously forbid a recipient from building a binary using non-GPL compatible source, while simultaneously granting them permission to build a binary using some portions non-GPL compatible source.  Hence you can't distribute a binary built from partially GPL and CDDL code.

This means you can't build a monolithic linux kernel including zfs in it.  But you can, if you want to, build a module which the linux kernel links to.  That is - if it's possible to build a kernel module without compiling any of the linux kernel code into the module.


> On a personal, stubborn I'm sure, note..

Personal, stubborn, is ok.  The problem is personally, stubbornly, incorrect and spreading it.  That's called FUD.  Or just simply Rubbish or BS.