Re: [gentoo-user] Re: [WAS: keyboard stops working] Recent kernels block the loading of non-GPL kernel modules

[Dale]

walt wrote:
> <entire post severely snipped for brevity>
>
> On Mon, 17 Aug 2015 00:53:37 -0500
> Dale <rdalek1967@×××××.com> wrote:
>
>>>> walt wrote:
>>>>> Linus and friends have been marking lots of existing
>>>>> kernel symbols with the SYMBOL_EXPORT_GPL macro, which was
>>>>> designed to block the loading of any kernel module not explicitly
>>>>> licensed as GPL software.
>
>> The only module I have
>> is Nvidia but that is one thing that doesn't work at times.
>> Sometimes, it doesn't want to boot all the way.  It doesn't even get
>> through the kernel loading everything up at times.
> The Nvidia module is causing your problem then, because Nvidia supplies
> their binary blob under their own proprietary license.
>
> I'm using an elderly version of x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers on an
> elderly machine, but when I run 'modinfo -l nvidia' I see 'NVIDIA' as
> the response.  If the response isn't 'GPL' then the affected kernels
> will refuse to load the module at boot time.
>
> The kernel devs have provided a workaround for the problem, however:
>
> You (or a gentoo dev) need to edit the source code for the problem
> kernel by changing the SYMBOL_EXPORT_GPL to SYMBOL_EXPORT.
>
> That macro appears maybe hundreds of places in the kernel sources, and
> has been there for years now, but only one or two of those source files
> needs to be patched, depending on which of those exported symbols is
> needed by your particular binary driver (e.g. nvidia-drivers or
> ati-drivers).
>
> This whole GPL/module thing is far from new.  What's new is that the
> kernel devs are slowly adding more kernel symbols to their black list.
>
> I think the idea is to turn up the pressure very slowly on companies
> like Nividia and ATI to discourage them from providing proprietary
> drivers while not driving them out of the linux market completely.
>
> Every year linux is getting stronger and the devs can afford to be
> pushier with wealthy corporations who need more linux customers.
>
>
>
>
>


I think there is two issues but you are addressing one of them it
seems.  The other issue happens when the kernel panics and it reboots
itself.  It doesn't complete the boot process.  The one you describe
could be it tho.  On that one, I don't have a GUI.  Since I use my puter
a lot, I usually just reboot to a known working kernel and deal with it
later. 

While I think I get the idea of what the kernel devs are doing.  I also
think they should let the users send the message.  The users can start
buying ATI or other video hardware and at some point, they will either
get their ducks in a row or lose sales.  In the meantime, the users
decide what software they want to use. 

I did some searching based on the config option you gave and I'm unable
to find a way to override this myself.  It doesn't seem to be a setting
I can put in make.conf or package.use etc either.  If this is the case,
I may wish Nvidia would switch to open source but it sort of rubs me the
wrong way that someone else is making the decision and me having no way
to exercise my decision to use it anyway.   I don't care if Nvidia
doesn't show its code as long as it works and it isn't spying on me or
blowing up my house here. 

If you have any info on how to override this, I'd be glad to see it. 
Just a link or something would help. 

Thanks.

Dale

:-)  :-)