Comment by dathinab

> If there is no "approved" method for creating Linux drivers under licenses other than the GPL, that seems like a major problem that Linux should be working to address.

It's less a think Linux can work on then a think lawmakers/courts would have to make binding decisions on, which would make it clear if this usage is Ok or not. But in practice this can only be decided on a case-by-case basis.

The only way Linux could work on this is by:

1. Adding a exception to there GPL license to exclude kernel modules from GPL constraints (which obviously won't happen for a bunch of reasons).

2. Turn Linux into a micro kernel with user-land drivers and interfaces for that drivers which are not license encumbered (which again won't happen because this would be a completely different system)

3. Oracle re-licensing ZFS under a permissible Open Source license (e.g. dual license it, doesn't need to be GPL, just GPL compatible e.g. Apache v2). Guess, what that won't happen either, or at last I would be very surprised. I mean Oracle is running out of products people _want_ to buy from them and increasingly run into an area where they (ab-)use the license/copyright/patent system to earn their monny and force people to buy there products (or at last somehow pay license fees to them).