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Novell’s Closed-Source Driver Policy Stirs Debate


Linux vendors wrestle with issue of including proprietary code in distributions

By P. J. Connolly
September 1, 2006 — 
On the heels of the July release of desktop and server versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise 10, Novell further tweaked its Linux lineup last month by renaming its SUSE Linux 10.1 distribution to “openSUSE,” and aligning the company’s free-for-download offering with the Novell-sponsored openSUSE project. The SUSE 10 series showcases Novell’s new hands-off approach to proprietary drivers.

Novell’s driver policy, announced in March, means that selecting features requiring a closed-source driver invokes a download from the vendor, instead of Novell. Novell has pledged to work with affected vendors to ensure that, for example, SUSE’s kernel changes don’t break video drivers and vice versa, according to Novell’s Linux product management vice president, Holger Dyroff.

A 'PRACTICAL SOLUTION'
Dyroff explained that the company’s approach was an attempt to create a practical solution to the problem of supplying proprietary code while maintaining a commitment to open source. He claimed that closed-source drivers are not popular in the Linux community and noted that there may be legal issues, referring to possible conflicts with the GPL. Beyond the ideology, and more important to his business, is the problem of supporting other vendors’ closed systems.

Other vendors maintain a similar stance, offering a distribution containing purely open-source software, and so-called “commercial” versions that include various degrees of closed, proprietary components. Perhaps the most extreme example of this is Linspire, whose CEO Kevin Carmony argued that the issue is end-user convenience. Carmony claimed that one of the most valuable things a Linux vendor can do is to run interference on behalf of customers with vendors that don’t offer open-source software, to take care of licensing and support issues.

Mandriva CEO Francois Bancilhon agreed with the proposition that the issue is one of ideology versus practicality. He asserted that Mandriva’s Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS) offers his customers a middle path between open- and closed-source drivers by insulating the kernel from device drivers.

Red Hat was unable to provide a spokesperson; Canonical, owner of Ubuntu, did not respond to a request for comment.

Forrester Research senior analyst Michael Goulde believes that vendors who aren’t offering open-source components and drivers are missing a golden opportunity.

Vendors should direct open-source efforts instead of fighting them, he said. “Why not co-opt the efforts and maintain your leadership position?”


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