Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] GPL license question
From: Ulf Lamping <ulf.lamping@xxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2007 20:08:12 +0200
Sebastien Tandel schrieb:
Phillip Paradis wrote:
One might be able to do as Nvidia/ATI et. al. do with their drivers.
Just to mention that it won't be possible anymore to load a non-GPL
module into the kernel after the 1st January 2008. It seems that kernel
people (probably assisted by lawyers) have decided that non-GPL kernel
module infringes the GPL license. ;)

http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/475654/focus=47579
Well, to anyone in this discussion - this discussion about circumventing the GPL really annoys me.
If you don't want to agree with the terms of the GPL, just go away - 
it's that simple. You'll try to gain the benefits of other peoples work, 
without giving anything back. No one forces you to write a dissector for 
Wireshark and we don't want to see it in any other form than the GPL - 
if you want to release it to someone else. Feel free to write your own 
analyzer or buy a commercial analyzer product and the corresponding 
developer kit for it and do your stuff this way.
And to be clear about that point: If people will start to write closed 
source dissectors to be plugged into Wireshark, we as the Wireshark 
developers will probably find a way to prevent it - probably not using 
the legal way, but in effect.
If you'll try to circumvent the GPL, you'll very certainly will make 
people angry about it. People (including myself) have spend a reasonable 
amount of time to build Wireshark to be how it is today. Choosing the 
GPL wasn't done by mistake, it was intended ...
Regards, ULFL