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VMware and GPL analysed

Very interesting perspective

Furthermore, VMware’s use of Linux is hardly a secret that’s just been uncovered—as the usual corporation-hating online mob crying “scandal!” seems to be implying. The architecture of ESX Server has been known for years. Books have been written about it. Therefore, it’s hard for me to believe that any potential issue here hasn’t been thoroughly researched and discussed by people familiar with both the technical and the legal details. Certainly there have been cases where GPL violations buried deep in some network device’s firmware have only come to light belatedly. But that’s not the case here. VMware has never exactly trumpeted the fact that it leverages Linux. But it’s well documented. That something like this was sitting in plain sight for years and that even competitors (such as the various Xen proponents) never raised a public peep certainly suggests that there’s not much to raise a peep about.


Read it. I won´t be surprised if this perspective gets slashdotted.
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