[U-Boot-Users] Proposal for a make option to include an additional stand alone program directory

[Jerry Van Baren <gerald.vanbaren@smiths-aerospace.com>]

Wolfgang Denk wrote:
> In message <4631093C.7060002@freescale.com> you wrote:
>> But even if the application were non-GPL, how would running it be a GPL violation?  If I 
>> load the application into memory, and just execute it, and the application runs without 
>> calling U-Boot code, and then the application exits, that's not a GPL violation.
> 
> You agree that static linking against a non-GPL library is illegal?
> 
> What does static linking against a NON-GPL library mean? You combine the
> U-Boot image and the library image in some way, or
> load the library image into memory,
> 	then you call a function from that library,
> 		and just execute it, and that library function runs without
> calling U-Boot code, and then the library function returns, that's ...
> ...a GPL violation.
> 
> Agreed? Then compare my text against your text a few lines above, and
> tell me the difference.
> 
> 
> Running an application and calling a function is two  very  different
> things:  U-Boot works perfectly fine without this application, and is
> just a helper to be able to load and atart and run it. But  a  binary
> firmware,  which  is  needed  for  U-Boot to function properly, where
> U-Boot does not work correctly or with the full functionality if  the
> firmware is not present, is a different thing.
> 
> BTW: this is just my view, and IANAL...
> 
> Best regards,
> 
> Wolfgang Denk

If you look at the VSC7385 switch product brief:
   <http://www.vitesse.com/products/product.php?number=VSC7385>
you will see that it has a 8051-type supervisor processor.  It looks to 
me like all Timur is doing is loading a binary blob into the switch's 
supervisor processor, which would not be a GPL issue.

Unfortunately, Vitesse feels their loader software is sooper sekret so I 
cannot download a copy to see what the licensing terms are.  If that is 
_not_ GPL, there may be an issue, but only with the loader software.  If 
the loader software is stand-alone (can be run as a u-boot stand-alone 
application) it would not be a GPL issue since the u-boot license 
explicitly allows that.

IANAL (and have been reading too much groklaw)
gvb