Re: [Xen-users] GPLPV defunct?

[George Dunlap <george.dunlap@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, Jul 20, 2016 at 5:17 PM, Stephen Oberholtzer <stevie@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> On Jul 20, 2016 9:59 AM, "chris" <tknchris@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>
>> The thing that has me kind of puzzled is that how does one of the oldest
>> virtualization platforms not have deployment ready (packaged) and signed
>> windows pv drivers?
>>
> It's quite simple: you get what you pay for.
>
> I would wager that the majority of people working on Xen primarily use Linux
> or some sort of BSD.  So they have no motivation to get Windows working
> beyond 'at all'.

That, and, for a long time there were signed GPLPV drivers that were
being maintained well enough, so there was no need for anyone else to
do anything.

One of the advantages of a truly community project like Xen (as
opposed to one which is almost entirely developed by one company) is
that you get lots of people stepping up to add value, like the
original GPLPV drivers.

One of the disadvantages is that if individuals or companies then move
on to other things, those things go away, and it may take a while for
other people to notice they've gone and step up to provide
replacements.

The new winpv driver project is actually funded by the XenProject
(which is a part of the Linux Foundation), and so will have more
staying power than one particular volunteer or company.  But that also
has the disadvantage that it involves a lot more bureaucracy -- as a
previous post said, the sticking point to getting XenProject-signed
drivers is actually that the Linux Foundation's lawyers aren't
currently happy with the agreement you have to sign with Microsoft in
order to do the signing.

 -George

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