Subject: [bug#55231] Understanding #:substitutable? and #55231

From: Leo Famulari <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 9 Feb 2025 21:02:55 -0500

On Sun, Feb 09, 2025 at 10:13:51PM +0100, Maxime Devos via Guix-patches via wrote:
> And while documenting "The default configuration of adding X (ZFS) to your Y
> (operating-system kernel-modules) might be illegal, so also modify the
> initrd to mark it as non-substitutable" is worth _something_, it's much
> better to just automatically mark the initrd as non-substitutable, as this
> is an easy pitfall and entirely automatable.

I want to try to clarify my understanding of something. My impression is
that the problem would be distribution of the combination of Linux and
ZFS, as the GPL and CDDL both limit distribution, not use: 

For the GPL2:

"Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
covered by this License; they are outside its scope."

https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.en.html

And the CDDL 1.0:

"3.1. Availability of Source Code. Any Covered Software that You
distribute or otherwise make available in Executable form must also be
made available in Source Code form and that Source Code form must be
distributed only under the terms of this License."

https://opensource.org/license/CDDL-1.0

So, It would never be "illegal" to add ZFS to my operating-system
kernel-modules, right? The violation of the licenses would only arise
when distributing the combined work to a 3rd party?

My apologies if this has already been discussed, but it stuck out to me.