Hell froze over

[dexter11]

Microsoft contributed driver code to the Linux kernel under the GPL v2 license.

 

Don't hold your breath though. They contributed only 3 drivers and "these three drivers are made specifically for Linux to perform better while being virtualized on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V". But still...

 

The whole story on OSnews.

[paul]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU7eDWecfFc

[spinynorman]

According to The Register, Microsoft was in violation of the GPL (General Public License) on the Hyper-V code it released to open source this week.

 

After Redmond covered itself in glory by opening up the code, it now looks like it may have acted simply to head off any potentially embarrassing legal dispute over violation of the GPL. The rest was theater.

Edited July 23, 2009 by ianw1974
edited to fix url :)

[ianw1974]

Not surprising. I was expecting something like this, then Microsoft would claim that the kernel had some of Microsoft's closed source code and then try to sue even though they introduced it.

[Greg2]

I first read this on the LKML, but I didn't think about posting it here at the time. Here's the first announcement on lkml: lkml.org/lkml/2009/7/20/

 

and here's the patches: kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/people/gregkh/

 

for whoever wants to see them.

[{BBI}Nexus{BBI}]

And the violation was according to.... Network Plubmer's Journal