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Solving the open source vs. proprietary driver debate in the Linux kernel

One long-running controversy in the open source community has to do with device drivers and whether binary modules (proprietary code provided by device manufacturers, such as Nvidia) should be allowed within the Linux kernel. Purists believe that including these closed-source driver modules violates the open source General Public License (GPL). Some kernel contributors have even called for an outright ban of these binary modules, which has met with resistance from the more practical-minded in the Linux community, notably by Linux Torvalds himself, who reportedly called it both “shortsighted” and “stupid.”