GP2X Gph Linux Kernel Source?


M

MiniMoose

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2005
Messages
125
I know about the Open2X project already but I'm wondering if we're going to get the source of the GPH Linux Kernel and more importantly, the source code for the drivers to the various bits of hardware on the 2X. Does anybody know?
 
I don't think that we'll get the source for the drivers because they are developed from magiceye for sure. I think that GPH releases the kernel source once the GP2X is out.
 
judge0 posted on Nov 3 2005 said:
IIRC Magiceyes gave devs source to thier kernel. It is the one Open2X has onsite.
​
Click to expand...

Yeah, but if GPH made any modifications to it, they're legally obligated to provide their modified source to anyone who gets a GP2X. There may be discrepencies between the Magiceyes and GPH sources and the GPH source would definitely be helpful to the Open2X project and devs in general.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
judge0 posted on Nov 4 2005 said:
Is this just kernel source or does it include device driver code as well?
​
Click to expand...

I have no idea ;). I don't have anything other then the ME kernel and driver code. I would suspect as GPH have not used modules in there kernels thus far it will include drivers but the hardware is not that difficult to write direct drivers for anyway, a lot of work in that area is already well underway and with the exception of USB the ME kernel is a very good reference.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A certain well-known hardware hacker/developer has already written a replacement SD driver, so no problems there, and I think we can live without the DRM stuff :)
 
lucoxade posted on Nov 8 2005 said:
Surely it won't be the complete source because the code for SD card is supposed to be secret and can only be used under licence, but anything covered by the GPL should be available.
​
Click to expand...

The SD card driver is not loaded as a separate kernel module and thus it is by definition GPL as the code is linked to a GPL'ed Linux kernel.

I think there is a little misunderstanding here regards SD drivers.

To use drivers derived from the formal SD Card Association docs you have to sign an NDA (and pay a substantial amount of cash for the docs and licences) and those drivers have to be implemented in a non-GPL way, i.e. as a separate 'tainted' Linux kernel module etc. This is what the SD Card Association would love company’s to do ;).

GPH have chosen to work from the existing open source MMC/SD driver in the Linux kernel that was based on the open MMC standards with SD support added by a process of reverse engineering and guesswork (this work was not done by GPH but rather the Linux community at large over the last few years). This driver is unconnected to the SD Card Associations drivers and is GPL.

Bits of this driver (and a lot of knowledge about SD and MMC cards) are being used by the nameless one ;) to produce SD drivers that will bypass the Linux install and run on the raw hardware. These are looking to be very nice when there done.

The open source driver does not implement the ‘secure’ (read: DRM like) features of the SD standard so all you get is memory card support. This is not in anyway a problem.

sand_man posted on Nov 8 2005 said:
So drivers for SDIO would have to be written by GPH?
​
Click to expand...

No, not at all. The problem with SDIO is the chronic lack of public documentation and I don’t see many of us stumping up tens of thousands of dollars for SD Card Association licences. However there are several people who are up for a bit of a ‘trial and error’ attempt so don’t give up just yet but it will take time.

EDIT: Trust Squidge to sneak in while I was drinking coffee and typing.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The open source driver does not implement the ‘secure’ (read: DRM like) features of the SD standard so all you get is memory card support. This is not in anyway a problem.
Click to expand...

So GPH uses the modified usb-driver on the gp2x? Does that mean that they don't even support the DRM-chip? Oo Or did they add this and made the driver closed source? Aren't you able to use any commercial games anymore if you use a different driver? (did squidge made one?)
 
Digitalrat posted on Nov 8 2005 said:
So GPH uses the modified usb-driver on the gp2x? Does that mean that they don't even support the DRM-chip? Oo Or did they add this and made the driver closed source? Aren't you able to use any commercial games anymore if you use a different driver? (did squidge made one?)
​
Click to expand...

Sorry, that makes as much sense as lecturing me in Esperanto ;).

We are talking about the SD card driver, nothing to do with the USB.

GPH support DRM in a commercial, closed source, environment that is available to commercial releases if they sort a deal with GPH.

Any SD drivers made by the community for raw hardware use will not effect any commercial games that run under Linux regardless of how GPH set this up.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
> GPH support DRM in a commercial, closed source, environment that is > available to commercial releases if they sort a deal with GPH.

Are you sure that's a legal thing?
Linux kernel is under GPL License, and i'm quite sure that you can't put inside kernel closed source stuff, and more... i think that you can't load it neither as a module.
So, or you release DRM driver source code, or you will have problems with FSF.

or, who want to use DRM have to embed the code inside each binary they release.
 
newmark posted on Nov 8 2005 said:
> GPH support DRM in a commercial, closed source, environment that is > available to commercial releases if they sort a deal with GPH.

Are you sure that's a legal thing?
Linux kernel is under GPL License, and i'm quite sure that you can't put inside kernel closed source stuff, and more... i think that you can't load it neither as a module.
So, or you release DRM driver source code, or you will have problems with FSF.

or, who want to use DRM have to embed the code inside each binary they release.
​
Click to expand...

I think the version of the GPL that the Linux kernel uses is modified to allow closed-source kernel modules. That's how ATI and nVidia can get away with closed-source video card drivers. But any code that is actually placed in the kernel source isn't covered by this exemption and thus has to be made available to anyone who gets a copy of the compiled kernel.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
that's true only if they does not use ANY library inside kernel, because the kernel library are released under GPL (not LGPL) so any program use it MUST have the GPL itself.
Nvidia and ATI write their driver not using any kernel library but from scratch i think.
If they do that, it's all ok :p

I'm quite worried about GPL violation in GP2X, but i think that they think about that stuff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Pickle
GP2X Help With Building A Kernel Module Fuse
Replies
10
Views
2K
Pickle
Pickle
Y
Where Is The Kernel Source For Firmware 1.1.0 ?
2 3
Replies
42
Views
5K
DaveC
D
P
Caanoo / WIZ Wiz Source Kernel/app Code Repo.?
Replies
3
Views
2K
pchan
P
B
GP2X Net2272 Source
Replies
3
Views
1K
Squidge
S
S
Linux Kernel Source
2
Replies
24
Views
6K
DJWillis
DJWillis
Back
Top