Linux (the OS) Will Be Subject to the GPL v3
March 29, 2007 – 6:54 amToday, the FSF released the latest draft of the GPLv3. The reported reason for the delay is to deal with the Novel/Microsoft deal. I.e., making explicit that if you distribute GPL licensed code, you are not allowed to sue people for patent violations implemented in that code.
A lot of people are talking about the fact that Linus Torvalds has stated he won’t move the Linux kernel over to GPLv3. And, while a shame, doesn’t actually mean much. You see, the kernel is only one of the many critical pieces of Linux. Sure, it’s got the highest profile and is the brains of the OS, but a brain without a heart can’t survive.
The FSF is not just a supplier of licenses. They are also the copyright holder on a number of critical components of any Linux distribution. They hold the copyright on:
- The Bash shell
- The GCC compiler
- The glibc C library
- The fileutils package
etc. So without the above, you might be able to boot your kernel, but you won’t have a shell, a userspace library, or a compiler for your OS.
And, of course, the FSF is certainly going to move all of their own software to GPLv3 as soon as possible. So while the kernel might still be under the GPLv2 licenses, you won’t be able to distribute a usable Linux (the OS) without becoming subject to the GPLv3.
Interesting times indeed.