[ros-kernel] RE: [ros-cvs] CVS Update: reactos

[Hartmut Birr]

Hi,    

it is always possible to use the ddk or ifs kit to develop a windows driver.
This driver will work on ROS if ROS  use the same interface function as
windows. It is also possible to publish the source of the driver under any
copyright which doesn't violate the EULA of the ddk/ifs kit. This means, the
source can not contain the prototyps  of functions or the definitions of
structures from the ddk. We can use the informations from this source to
implement the interface functions within ROS. The hard part of the
implementation is to find out the values of  predefined constants and the
layout of structures. We can not use the ddk or the ifs kit directly. Its
EULA prevent this. Many of the necessary informations are published on the
web or on some books like 'Windows NT File System Internals'. It exist also
a way to get more informations about not freely published informations. We
need someone, which develops a windows driver. That driver must use all of
the functions from ddk/ifs kit. And the person should publish the source.
This sounds like a little bit stupid, but it does not break the EULA. It
does not solve the problem of constants and structures.

- Hartmut

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ros-kernel-bounces at reactos.com 
> [mailto:ros-kernel-bounces at reactos.com] On Behalf Of Steven Edwards
> Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 12:42 AM
> To: ReactOS Kernel List
> Subject: RE: [ros-kernel] RE: [ros-cvs] CVS Update: reactos
> 
> 
> Hi Hartmut,
> 
> --- Hartmut Birr <Hartmut.Birr at gmx.de> wrote:
> > the first paragraph of each M$ EULA says what you can do with the 
> > software. This one comes from the w2kddk:
> 
> Ok I didnt have the DDK or the IFS kit here. 
> 
> In the case of the ext2fsd driver Alex sent me stubs for, I 
> can think of one way we can get around this issue. It is a 
> Windows driver, and as such you are going to have to know the 
> interface names and paramaters in order to be able to develop 
> a driver for Windows. Now if we take the information we learn 
> in developing that driver and adapt it in ReactOS this would 
> not violate the EULA as far as I can tell. After all we have 
> just developed a Windows driver. 
> 
> So whats the solution? 
> 
> As far as I see it all of our drivers should work out of the 
> box on Windows. All of your recent work in making the storage 
> drivers and such compatible is a step in the right direction. 
> If we do this with all of our drivers then we are building 
> drivers for a Windows platform and we are not violating the EULA. 
> 
> So what about stubs?
> 
> It means we are limited to only what we can find on google or 
> MSDN unless someone develops a driver for Windows/ReactOS and 
> then stubs the interface. This does not sound like a bad 
> thing. It means you cant develop a driver for ReactOS thats 
> incompatible with Windows.
> 
> Does this sound like a workaround that can work? I mean a 
> EULA is not the same thing as copyright so how could you 
> claim that by me stubbing a interface from a driver I 
> developed using the DDK is a derivative work. If anything its 
> a Derivative work of the driver. If you try to say that I 
> cant take the information I learn from looking at the ext2fsd 
> and add stubs to ReactOS then you have added a restriction on 
> the GPL. 
> 
> If that wont work then it means you cant develop GPL drivers 
> from the DDK at all.
> 
> Thanks
> Steven