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Torvalds Says Linux IP Is Sound

Posted by timothy on from the dear-darl-let's-call-him dept.

An anonymous reader submits: "In an interview with CRN, Linus Torvalds says he's confident there won't be any IP problems discovered in Linux. In fact, Torvalds, says he was extra careful with issues like the IBM Read Copy Update code."

8 of 336 comments (clear)

  1. Shock; Surprise by Sargent1 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Huh. And I was all prepared for him to say, "I expect all kinds of IP problems in Linux."

    On a serious note, it is good to know he was thinking of these issues for some time.

    1. Re:Shock; Surprise by Billy+the+Mountain · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, don't you find it suspicious that Linus comes up with this after such a long time !?!?

      It sounds weird to me. Why didn't he say that in the first place ?

      If he came out with it in the first place he wouldn't have been able to say that he'd been thinking about IP issues for a long time.

      BTM

      --
      That was the turning point of my life--I went from negative zero to positive zero.
    2. Re:Shock; Surprise by Xzzy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That, or it took him this long to go over it with a lawyer before opening his mouth on the subject.

  2. Linus Torvalds = The Arbiter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Damn, this guy is cool. He gets to the point. Guess linux users don't need to worry about SCO anymore. Heh, not surprising since Slashdot stopped it's once-a-day-SCO-story.

    Anyway, even though this interview is really short, Linus has good points. The kernel submission system is very open, unlike propriatary systems, and if there is a problem, it can be traced.

  3. Re:Linus regard for customers by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Linus has never tried to go commercial with Linux. He avoids this side of things. I think this is a strength. Commercial OSs are driven by the desire to sell and as a ressult suffer technically.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  4. I don't like customers by unixwin · · Score: 5, Insightful
    How soon will this be misquoted ??
    "CRN: Are you being called in by vendors such as CA and systems integrators to help win over some of these big Linux deals?
    Torvalds: No. I never go to customer meetings. I don't like customers (laughing). "
    --
    -- everyones not everybody and neither is everybody like everyone.
  5. Outcomes of the SCO trial by Bio-Hazzard · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The worst case senario (which I think is EXTREMELY unlikely) is that the courts find SCO right on all points, this means linux will become a "dark" OS, you'll have to find obscure sites and download the latest kernel before it gets locked down.
    More likely is that SCO gets chucked out on it's arse for having such lame evidence (last I heard it was 80 lines that were copied word 4 word) and linux comes out fine.
    But my biggest worry is that whatever the outcome whenever a big campany is looking to migrate, the issue of the "stolen" code will come out.
    Some conversation like this will happen.

    IT guy: We should switch to linux it's cheaper, faster and more stable.
    Manager: But what about the stolen code?
    (conversation on how it wasn't stolen etc.)

    The biggest problem is our reputation will be tainted and that's whats bugging me.

    --

    Give a man a fire, he is warm for a day.
    Set a man on fire, he is warm for the rest of his life.

  6. Not ignorance of the law. by mindstrm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That is not ignorance of the law, that is ignorance of the fact.

    Not knowing that something is illegal is not an excuse.
    Not knowing you DID something in the first place is a totally different matter.

    Linus is not ignorant of the law, he knows taking someone elses stuff and putting it in his kernel without permission is illegal. The point is that, if you have no reason to suspect you don't have the rights, that should be the end of it as far as you are concerned, until someone points out otherwise.
    To do things the other way would be incredibly expensive, and endless... how do you prove code is totally within your rights? Full patent search and public annoncement on each function and update?