[clue-tech] Shame shame

[Collins Richey]

On 6/18/06, David L. Anselmi <anselmi at anselmi.us> wrote:
> David L. Willson wrote:
> [...]
> > Yes, the behavior is exactly like the Nvidia graphics driver.  If/when you upgrade your
> > kernel, it breaks, and you have to rebuild it.
> >
> > I don't think that necessarily implies that unknown versions are unlikely to work,
> > though, do you?
>
> It does, but I don't know whether the breakage is as likely from 2.6.15
> to 2.6.20 as from 2.6.x to 2.7.x.  The reason they are unlikely to work
> at some point is that the kernel developers are guaranteed to change the
> API to break them:
>
> http://www.kroah.com/log/linux/stable_api_nonsense.html
>
> http://www.kroah.com/log/2005/11/21/#gpl_pci_core
>

Yeah, the summary is

1. non GPL kernel modules are evil, right? (alas, not a no brainer
question, unless you happen to be RMS or Debian or a righteous kernel
developer).
2. Some of these modules are just plain shlicker-n-schnott and wildly popular.
3. When the kernel changes (because they can), these modules will break.
4. As long as customers demand it, these evil modules will continue to
be produced and improved and breakages fixed and new and more
effective evil products developed.
5. Mucho reams of electronic paper will be expended bemoaning the
evilness of the situation.

ie, nothing much has changed since the invention of Linux, and nothing
much is likely to change. The Preacher said it lo these thousands of
years ago: Nothing new under the sun.

Oh, but there really is something new under the sun. The developers of
such evil contraptions continue to improve the working environment for
evil companies willing to contract for such evil products. For
example, virtualization. The gall of it! These evil merchants have
contrived to build a stable interface to insulate the evil users from
a (intentionally) constantly chaotic and virtuous low level API that
only the greatest gurus in the land can comprehend, and lo the
adapters came by the thousands, and life was good, and the coffers of
these evil merchants and their evil users overflowed.

If you choose to utilize and benefit from such deliciously evil
products, from time to time you will need to pause in the adaptation
of the latest and greatest stuff until the evil merchants catch up.
But then, the evil adapters of such evil products really aren't after
the latest and greatest virtuous whizbangs. They leave the evil vs.
virtuous philosophizing to others and just grow their evil businesses
piggybacked on the evil products that make their evil lives easier.

Let there be evil.

In less sarcastic mode: I have no objection to the presence of GPL
software. We all benefit from it greatly. By the same token, I have no
objection to non GPL software. If you build a better mousetrap (GPL or
otherwise), the world will beat a pathway to your door, and you won't
need to cooerce manufacturers and users a la M$.

Enjoy,

-- 
Collins Richey
     If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries
     of tomorrow, you have no today to be thankful for.