RE: [ECOS] RedBoot banner

[Mark Salter <msalter at redhat dot com>]

On Tue, 2009-02-03 at 09:10 -0500, Chris Zimman wrote:
> > Under section 2(c) of the GPL it isn't really an option:
> > 
> >     c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively
> >     when run, you must cause it, when started running for such
> >     interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an
> >     announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a
> >     notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide
> >     a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under
> >     these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this
> >     License.  (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but
> >     does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on
> >     the Program is not required to print an announcement.)
> > 
> > And of course RedBoot does print that sort of announcement (copyrights)
> > and has done from the outset. It's been strictly incorrect for RedBoot not
> > to comply with 2(c) for as long as it has (since the RHEPL->GPL+exception
> > switch). It does seem an appropriate thing for RedBoot to say too.
> 
> I don't understand your read of this.  By my read, section 2 deals with
> modified software.  
> This is saying that if a program is a derivative of a program that does print
> license info, then it's required to do so as well.
> Given that Redboot isn't really a derivative of anything that (AFAIK) does
> so, I don't understand how it's required to.
> 
> U-Boot is also GPL'd and doesn't print any license info when it starts up.

I tend to agree with Chris, here. Some other examples of GPL interactive
apps which don't print banners: guile, bash, etc.

--Mark



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