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Re: Question regarding eCos license


On Mon, 2003-11-10 at 16:35, Chris Gray wrote:
> On Monday 10 November 2003 00:54, Gary Thomas wrote:
> > On Sun, 2003-11-09 at 16:43, Suheel Hussain wrote:
> > > I am an embedded system consultant who evaluates OS for clients.
> > > Frequently I am asked to suggest real-time OS for client's project. In
> > > future I want to suggest eCos as an option to commercial OSs and Linux.
> > >
> > > I have few questions:
> > > 1.  Do I have to give eCos source code to the client? Same for RedBoot?
> > > 2.  Does client have to mention -- say in their product literature --
> > > that their product is built on eCos?
> > > 3.  If I tweak eCos to get better real-time response, etc. Am I required
> > > to post this change on discussion list, etc.?
> >
> > eCos is covered by a modified GPL license.  Most of your questions are
> > answered in http://ecos.sourceware.org/license-overview.html
> >
> > In particular:
> > (1) - yes.  The client has as much right to the eCos sources, including
> > any changes you make to the eCos codebase, as you do.
> > (2) - no.  There is no "publicize" requirement.
> > (3) - yes.  If you make changes to the eCos sources, including additions
> > which end up in the "main" eCos tree, those changes are covered by the GPL
> > and must be published.  You would not have to actually send them to us, but
> > the effect is the same, they must be made public with no additional
> > constraints placed on them.
> 
> IANAL, but as I understand it the sources only need to be made available to 
> anyone who receives a binary, not to be made "public". Just how mauch 
> difference this makes in practice will depend on the nature of the product.
> 

What I meant by "public" was in the sense that the provider (the one 
making the binary "product") needs to make the sources available to 
whomever he distributes the product, including any changes he has made,
with no more restrictions on the use of the sources as he was subject 
to.  Since the provider would have obtained the sources from a public
repository, then whatever sources he distributes must be equally 
available.  The party which receives these [possibly modified] sources
would then have the right to publish them or make derivative products,
etc.

> > Note: the exception clause that we have in the license *does* allow you to
> > add code/value when using eCos and not make that code public.  In other
> > words, you can create an application which uses the eCos kernel, but the
> > application code itself is not automatically covered by the GPL.
> 
> -- 
> Chris Gray                                /k/ Embedded Java Solutions
> Embedded & Mobile Java, OSGi              http://www.kiffer.be/k/
> chris.gray@kiffer.be                      +32 477 599 703
-- 
Gary Thomas <gary@mlbassoc.com>
MLB Associates


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