On Tue, 18 Aug 2015, Dale wrote: > I did some searching based on the config option you gave and I'm unable > to find a way to override this myself. It doesn't seem to be a setting > I can put in make.conf or package.use etc either. If this is the case, > I may wish Nvidia would switch to open source but it sort of rubs me the > wrong way that someone else is making the decision and me having no way > to exercise my decision to use it anyway. I don't care if Nvidia > doesn't show its code as long as it works and it isn't spying on me or > blowing up my house here.
The issue is more of a legal one. The kernel has *always* been under the GPLv2, so derivative work should also be under a compatible license. Companies have frequently been violating the terms of the license or applying their own interpretation of what constitutes derived work. The point is the kernel devs are *not* changing anything by modifying some symbols to be exported GPL-only. Legally they have always been such, and they are just now starting to enforce what has always been their intention. And it's their right to do so. If anyone is to blame then it's nvidia and amd. Ofcourse as a user with access to the source code you can modify it in any way you like, as long as you don't redistribute it. Patch the kernel sources, patch the module sources, contact the graphics card vendor and demand a patch. But don't blame the kernel people. I have nothing against proprietary/closed source kernel modules as long as they comply with the terms of the licenses of open source software that they are using. They expect the same from you...
