VMware May Violate Linux Copyrights

Nailer writes "Bloomberg believe VMware's IPO today may the largest technology offering since Google. But doubts have been cast over the company's supposedly proprietary ESX product, as top 10 Linux contributor Christopher Hellwig claims the software may violate Linux kernel copyrights. 'Is Hellwig right, and is VMware a derived product of Linux? Unless vmkernel can be loaded without the Linux kernel, it would appear so. VMware was developed from another, long ago OS created as a research project, but it's unclear whether vmkernel was ported from that OS or rewritten as the Linux-requiring binary blob. What's more of an issue is that VMware had these serious questions posed directly to them a year ago, repeated in a public forum many times since, but have yet to respond at all.'"

Comments

Re:Adds to Perception of GPL as Viral

[cerelib]

It would seem the GPL is "viral". Why do you think it is not?

Re:directly on the harware = uses GNU/Linux

[rubycodez]

vmware sales and marketing say "it's just the service console". but the truth is vmware kernel is a process under control of the linux kernel. yes, the virtual machines run under the vmware kernel, but the vmware kernel must use Linux devices and linux virtual memory system for resource usage of the real hardware. in other words, linux is in charge, "just a service console" my ass.