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TIL: @tuxedocomputers released #Linux #kernel drivers for their machines under the #GPLv3, which makes it impossible for competitors and distros to ship them pre-compiled, as that license is incompatible with the #LinuxKernel's #GPLv2 only license.

They did this purposely, allegedly to "keep control of the upstream pacing" – and want to re-license the code while upstreaming.

github.com/tuxedocomputers/tux

gitlab.com/tuxedocomputers/dev

gitlab.com/tuxedocomputers/dev

gitlab.com/tuxedocomputers/dev

2/ side note: wondering if they require a CLA that allows re-licensing for any meaningful contributions, otherwise they can not upstream contributed code (and wouldn't be allowed to ship the drivers pre-compiled themselves).

3/ It got even stranger: it seems @tuxedocomputers provided the wrong license to the #LinuxKernel's MODULE_LICENSE()[1] macro either by accident or on purpose. 🧐

@waldi pointed that out earlier today elsewhere in this thread; PWM maintainer Uwe Kleine-König a little later submitted a bug report asking this to be fixed:

gitlab.com/tuxedocomputers/dev

[1] they proclaim it's GPL, which according to the #Linux #kernel's docs means "GPLv2" (either -only or -or-later), when in fact the code is GPLv3

Marcin Juszkiewicz

@kernellogger

This thread is the second time when I heard about @tuxedocomputers at all.

First was "we will make Linux powered SnapDragon laptop" news post.

Interesting ways to get popular for nearly unknown brand.

@hrw at least in Germany they hardly are unknown.
If you are in the market for laptops with pre-installed Linux here, you probably have heard of them.

@mxk I tend to ignore hardware vendor provided images.

Distributions work on getting things done so I use what they provide and reinstall any computer I get (if it has to run Linux).

@hrw @kernellogger @tuxedocomputers can't agree on the point of TuxedoComputers being utterly unknown. They were doing a decent amount of rounds on the internet. I would speculate that they may be a bit less known in the US, due to being a German brand, but nothing less.