Re: [Tracker] Is there a way to let tracker use proprietary shared libraries?

["Lin, Mengdong" <mengdong lin intel com>]

libtracker-extract is LGPL,  can I write a proprietary plug-in to handle my own DRM file format?

-----Original Message-----
From: Adrien Bustany [mailto:abustany gnome org] 
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 2:54 PM
To: Lin, Mengdong
Cc: tracker-list gnome org
Subject: Re: [Tracker] Is there a way to let tracker use proprietary shared libraries?

> A customer require us to support OMA DRM-protected content.
>
> Since some meta data can only be extracted after the content is decrypted,
> we need a library for decryption and provide API for tracker to get the
> metadata. But for license issue, the decryption library is a proprietary
> one and can NOT be open source.
>
>
>
> Does it mean I cannot use this decryption library as a shared library for
> tracker because of contradiction tracker's GPL?
>
> If not, is there any walk around?
>
>
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Amanda
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> tracker-list gnome org
> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/tracker-list

Hello Amanda,

as far as I know (which means "not that much" :p), GPL programs can load
and execute proprietary code (see
http://www.mail-archive.com/gnu-misc-discuss gnu org/msg10632.html).
For your DRM'ed music you'd just write an extractor module, and the DRM
code would live in that module (ie. you don't have to modify tracker's
source code). So, as the Linux kernel can load proprietary drivers, I
think Tracker can load proprietary extractor modules.
Again, I'm now lawyer, so this probably requires confirmation.

Cheers

Adrien