Re: Can linux kernel claim it uses GPL v2?

[John Hasler]

Honza writes:
> Can you point me to text of exception?

>From the COPYING file in the kernel source:


   NOTE! This copyright does *not* cover user programs that use kernel
 services by normal system calls - this is merely considered normal use
 of the kernel, and does *not* fall under the heading of "derived work".
 Also note that the GPL below is copyrighted by the Free Software
 Foundation, but the instance of code that it refers to (the Linux
 kernel) is copyrighted by me and others who actually wrote it.

 Also note that the only valid version of the GPL as far as the kernel
 is concerned is _this_ particular version of the license (ie v2, not
 v2.2 or v3.x or whatever), unless explicitly otherwise stated.

                        Linus Torvalds


(Unaltered GPLv2 text follows)

> GPL does not AFAIK have some special condition.. for case of kernel.

>From the GPL:

  However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not
  include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary
  form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the
  operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component
  itself accompanies the executable.

-- 
John Hasler 
john@dhh.gt.org
Dancing Horse Hill
Elmwood, WI USA