ReactOS, the open source implementation of a Windows XP/2003 compatible operating system, just published a new interview in their series of interviews with ReactOS developers. Today's interview features the most active kernel developer Alex Ionescu.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2006-01-27
There is no doubt that GvG has a lot of trouble reading English, so perhaps someone should clarify things for him.
Merging HAL and Kernel code from ReactOS to TinyKRNL is appropriate use of the GPL, because that code will remain GPL licensed.
Secondly, the fast entry call is already written in assembly. Any competent OS developer should know that such low level code cannot be written in C, because registers mush be manually manipulated and precise trap frames created. It would be a pointless excercise to convert assembly to C when this C code is unusable. Since ReactOS does indeed boot, then I guess it's not using any magic C code.
Finally, TinyKRNL does not use the BSD license, as the FAQ page clearly states. It uses its own license which is obtainable from the SVN server in the root folder, and all code specifies this. If GvG had actually done research (instead of another envious attempt at discreditting a developer), he would've seen this file. But perhaps he has and it's not matching with his theories.
If there is a mention of the BSD license on the about page, it is a mistake and probably has already been fixed. As the frontpage mentions (perhaps GvG has not read that either), the webpages are still under construction, and our webmaster has been hospitalized for over a month now. Making sure he recovers from his injuries is more important to me then nagging him about a mistake on the about page, which is meaningless since the important place -- the code -- has the right license.
Once you get popular enough in life, it's normal for you to start having envious people who try to discredit you. Mike_m and GvG are prime examples of this, as their comment history shows. It's unfortunate that their inability to make a name of themselves must result in their attempts to destroy another's name.
Best regards,
Alex Ionescu
Member since:2005-07-07
There is no doubt that GvG has a lot of trouble reading English
Well, English isn't my native language, that's for sure.
Secondly, the fast entry call is already written in assembly
Yeah, I messed up there. In the case of the fast entry call you copied the disassembled code to asm instead of converting it to C. Minor mistake on my part, still a huge mistake on your part. Or are you now claiming the ReactOS fast entry code was written independently by you? Just a fair warning, I still have an email around where you admit to copying the code from Windows.
Merging HAL and Kernel code from ReactOS to TinyKRNL is appropriate use of the GPL, because that code will remain GPL licensed.
Finally, TinyKRNL does not use the BSD license, as the FAQ page clearly states.
Well, no, it clearly states TinyKRNL DOES use the BSD license. At this time (22 nov 18:30 GMT) it says "Because our components are linked with static libraries from the DDK as well as because some of our driver components are based on Microsoft Distributable Code, whose license prohibits usage of an Excluded License (such as the GPL or LGPL), these TinyKRNL components are licensed under the BSD license.".
I have no reason to doubt that the license in the svn tree is different if you say so, but I never made claims about the license in the svn tree, only about the license mentioned on the FAQ.
Member since:
2005-07-07
There's no doubt Alex is great with a disassembler. The problem is ofcourse that he uses that skill to translate disassembled Microsoft code to C and then commits that to ReactOS, thereby violating Microsofts copyrights. An example of that is the fastcall entry code (referenced by mike_m above).
A quote from the TinyKrnl (one of his projects) FAQ at http://www.tinykrnl.org/about_faq.htm
TinyKRNL is a research project as well as contains possibly Microsoft copyrighted or patented technologies or code
Another quote, from the interview:
It’s expected that it [TinyKRNL] will share a lot of its kernel and HAL code with ReactOS
Now, put one and one together and tell me if you still think Alex is the best thing that happened to the ReactOS project.
Alex seems to be very confused about copyright and licenses. The TinyKRNL about page says TinyKRNL will be released under the BSD license but then goes on to state that commercial use is not allowed. The BSD license allows unlimited commercial use. Besides, how you can release code copyrighted by Microsoft under the BSD is beyond me.