Re: [ECOS] TCP/IP and RTEMS

[Jim Belton <jhb at microplex dot com>]

John:

> JB- I have a concern regarding the RTEMS use of GPL.
> JB- Have they applied this to their TCP/IP stack as
> JB- well?  It would seem to me they would have to.
> JB- GPL and the embedded world don't play especially
> JB- well together.
>
> Having just contributed some confusion to the same thread on the RTEMS
> mail list, I refer you to:
> http://www.oarcorp.com/rtems/license.html

Is RTEMS is shipped with the unmodified GPL, or do they add the "special
exception" in the text of the license they ship?  I'd like a legal
opinion on whether linking with RTEMS puts my code under GPL, because of
the way the RTEMS license is written.  The ECPL, on the other hand, is
very clear about the fact that it only applies to eCos, not to my code,
even if they are linked together.

BTW, I'm not GPL/GNU bashing here.  When someone wants to free (as in
speech) a piece of software, then GPL is the best way I've seen to do
it.  But applying the GPL also needs to be a matter of free choice,
IMNSHO.

Regards - Jim.