Lockless algorithms [was Re: splxxx replacements?]

[Erik Wikström]

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On 2006-11-18 12:02, Antonio Vargas wrote:
> On 11/18/06, talon at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <talon at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> Bill Huey (hui) <billh at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> >
>> > There are patent issues and the GPL license, but this is just too powerful an
>> > algorithm to ignore. In many way, this brings out the ultimate in what shared
>> > memory system can do.
>>
>>
>> Without entering such troll subjects, the patent issue completely kills using
>> RCU outside of Linux. RCU is patented IBM with special licence to use in Linux
>> only, as far as i remember. Due to the history of IBM  it would be suicidal
> 
> Linux-only doesn't exist per-se, since linux is GPL and any GPL code
> can be remixed without problems. So, the question would be if it's ok
> to remix GPL with DFBSD license (which probably doesn't)

Well, there is a difference between copyright-law and patent-law. The 
code is protected by GPL (which is not compatible with BSD-licenses, and 
I doubt that we'll ever see any GPL in the kernel). The algorithm (or 
technique or whatever) is protected by a patent and you need a special 
license to use it, which, as far as I know, IBM have not given to anyone 
but Linux.

--
Erik Wikström