R: [ATMSAR] Request for review - update #1

[David Woodhouse]

On Tue, 2005-09-06 at 12:04 +0200, matthieu castet wrote:
> Yes, but only GPL module could use EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL's symbol.
> So if pulsaradsl-1.0.1 EVALUATION isn't GPL how it could use ATMSAR ?

It may not. Binary modules are not legal. 

The distinction between EXPORT_SYMBOL and EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL is a red
herring -- it doesn't actually make any real legal difference either
way. The kernel is released under the GPL. Either the GPL allows you to
link binary-only modules into the kernel, or it does not. 

Think about it... if the '_GPL' distinction were actually meaningful,
then it would be an extra restriction over and above what's normal with
EXPORT_SYMBOL. But the GPL itself explicitly forbids such extra
restrictions. Thus, if EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL were meaningful, it would
violate the GPL. There can be no difference between the meaning of the
two.

Still, I prefer to use EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL everywhere, because that's
actually what _both_ of them mean.

-- 
dwmw2