From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (qmail 10855 invoked by alias); 25 May 2005 07:53:33 -0000 Mailing-List: contact ecos-discuss-help@ecos.sourceware.org; run by ezmlm Precedence: bulk List-Subscribe: List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: , Sender: ecos-discuss-owner@ecos.sourceware.org Received: (qmail 10839 invoked by uid 22791); 25 May 2005 07:53:26 -0000 Received: from bnls261a.siemens.co.uk (HELO bnls261a.sni.co.uk) (217.33.204.17) by sourceware.org (qpsmtpd/0.30-dev) with ESMTP; Wed, 25 May 2005 07:53:26 +0000 Received: from bnls902a (bnls902a.sni.co.uk [10.10.10.70]) by bnls261a.sni.co.uk (Switch-3.1.2/Switch-3.1.2) with ESMTP id X4P7325KH0000009C for ; Wed, 25 May 2005 08:38:41 +0100 Received: from ples507a.stcl.siemens.co.uk ([137.223.44.136]) by bnls902a with InterScan Messaging Security Suite; Wed, 25 May 2005 08:37:26 +0100 Received: from ples506a.stcl.siemens.co.uk ([137.223.44.153]) by ples507a.stcl.siemens.co.uk with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.1830); Wed, 25 May 2005 08:37:08 +0100 Content-class: urn:content-classes:message MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 12:37:00 -0000 Message-ID: From: "Retallack, Mark \(Siemens\)" To: "C.J." Cc: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 25 May 2005 07:37:08.0652 (UTC) FILETIME=[8E5EA6C0:01C560FC] Subject: RE: [ECOS] Clean room module loader + GPL module + Application X-SW-Source: 2005-05/txt/msg00329.txt.bz2 I am sure others will be able to answer this in a better way, but:=20 First off, eCos is (now) GPL compatible. It has an exception for static linking against a closed source application. If any GPL source is introduced into the eCos+Applicaion mix, and it does not have a similar exception, then the whole eCos+Application+OtherApp mix will become GPL. The only way to prevent this is to not statically link the OtherApp. This would require runtime dynamic linking and a very careful development process.=20=20=20 -----Original Message----- From: ecos-discuss-owner@ecos.sourceware.org [mailto:ecos-discuss-owner@ecos.sourceware.org] On Behalf Of C.J. Sent: 24 May 2005 18:47 To: ecos-discuss@ecos.sourceware.org Subject: [ECOS] Clean room module loader + GPL module + Application Hi, I know eCos mod-GPL have been discussed several times. I also understand that eCos is not GPL compatible ---=20 Using GPL code in eCos kernel will force the license=20 of eCos application GPL. GNU GPL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html) states: The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it.=20 For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains,=20 plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and=20 installation of the executable.=20 However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need=20 not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major=20 components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs,=20 unless that component itself accompanies the executable.=20 Considering only legal issues (just ignore any technical or code size issue),=20 If an eCos system is implemented like this: (a) eCos kerenl (mod-GPL) (b) Clean room module loader (closed license) (c) A GPL module registers itself as "/dev/storage" (GPL) (d) Clean room application, mount "/dev/storage" and use eCos POSIX layer (via FAT filesystem)=20 to access the device (closed license). Does the GPL "special exception" apply to this situation? Is it legal If the provider do not release the source code of (b) and (d)? Best Regards, C.J. -- Before posting, please read the FAQ: http://ecos.sourceware.org/fom/ecos and search the list archive: http://ecos.sourceware.org/ml/ecos-discuss