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Porting for ecos - is GPL SW applicable?
- To: ecos-discuss at sourceware dot cygnus dot com
- Subject: [ECOS] Porting for ecos - is GPL SW applicable?
- From: Dmitry Ryzhkov <rdim_outside at softhome dot net>
- Date: Fri, 26 Oct 2001 01:08:42 +0200
- Organization: Me
- Reply-To: rdim_outside at softhome dot net
Hi All,
May be somebody can tell a few words about legal aspects of porting
already existing GPL SW for its using under eCos?
I would like to use ecos as OS platform but I need to operate with
FAT-formatted PCMCIA flash memory cards (mass storage class). FAT is not
supported by ecos. Terefore there is a sense to port FAT fs to ecos using,
for example, Linux kernel as source. Linux kernel is distributed under GPL,
so if I make any port of its part (fat fs in our case), the result must also
be under GPL. That isn't a problem - can be done and src of ecos/FAT fs can
be made for public access.
Problem is that I will ALSO need to make public the APPLICATION part of SW I
develop using both ecos and fat-for-ecos because ecos fat fs must be GPL. I'm
afraid that a)my customer will not be happy to make application itself public
(not fat fs, of course), and b) I'm not sure that RHPL and GPL can be easely
joined within one project...
May be somebody can tell me a bit more about these matters? Is that possible
to use GPL SW with ecos? And do I need to make public whole code of project
if I'm porting some GPL SW for ecos? Is that possible to get GPL SW, make
port for ecos, expose result under GLPL (Library License) and then use (call)
this port within closed app?
Thanks a lot in advance,
RDim.