Linux vs. Closed-Source Kernel Modules

by Mike Gunderloy - Jun. 24, 2008Comments (2)

There's an uneasy relationship between Linux and some of the bits that make it work on many computers - closed-source kernel modules. These modules - NVidia video card drivers are the most notorious example - add substantial, and sometimes critical, functionality to Linux without themselves being open source. Now a group of kernel developers are on the record with their opposition to these modules.

The group of over 100 kernel developers, in a statement hosted by the Linux Foundation, pull no punches:

We, the undersigned Linux kernel developers, consider any closed-source Linux kernel module or driver to be harmful and undesirable. We have repeatedly found them to be detrimental to Linux users, businesses, and the greater Linux ecosystem.┬а

The statement closes by urging vendors to provide open source kernel modules where this would benefit customers - pointing out that this would also allow the open source community to support the modules, cutting down on vendors' support costs.

While this is a noble sentiment, it's unclear how much impact it will really have on the vendors concerned. Certainly vendors like NVidia and LexMark already know that the Linux community is less-than-happy with them, but have still chosen to go the closed-source route. Particularly in the video driver case, the advantages of preserving a proprietary lead on the major platforms may well outweigh, in strict dollar-and-cents terms, any goodwill with the open source community.

Over the long run, efforts like the Open Graphics Project┬а may have more effect than public statements. If it does prove possible to sell a completely open system at a profit, that will get the major vendors' attention in a way that has not yet been possible.