I asked Greg Kroah-Hartman author of the "Linux Device Drivers, Third Edition"
and current Linux kernel maintainer for the PCI, USB, I²C, driver core and
the sysfs kernel subsystems about the GPL BIOS work around for close source
SD-Flash drivers
Here is what he responded:(March 20, 2007 02:06 pm)
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On Tue, Mar 20, 2007 at 12:51:19AM -0400, Curtis Monroe wrote:
> In other words...Can embedded linux developers hide their close source
divers
> in a custom close source BIOS, that is called from an open source "wrapper
> module"?
No.
> PCs have close source BIOSes.
Some do, some do not.
> My problem is the SD flash card interface is patented and its governing body
> doesn't allow release of open source drivers for the SD interface.
That's not true, we have SD drivers in the Linux kernel now.
> I know this violates the spirit of the GPL. But there doesn't seem to be any
> other solution. Besides abandoning the SD card interface.
>
> Researching the question on line did not turn up any conclusive results.
Why not use the SD code that is already in the kernel, my devices work
just fine with it now...
thanks,
greg k-h
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-Curtis.
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