Re: [Qemu-devel] [PATCH 0/3] Add BIOS splash image support

Anthony Liguori
2008-12-17T17:14:35Z

Jan Kiszka wrote:
> Paul Brook wrote:
>
>>> BTW, why does qemu not carry all bochs bios source? For reference, but
>>> also to fully comply with the LGPL (pointing to the original source is
>>> not sufficient when delivering binaries - like e.g. bios.bin...).
>>>
>> If this is really an issue, then I strongly suggest we fix it by moving the
>> bios into its own project, and have everyone fetch it from there.
>>
>
> Qemu distributes binaries that have been generated from LGPLed sources
> (this is at least the case for bochs, one would have to check the
> situation for the other firmware images), so it has to provide the
> corresponding source code according to the license terms.

You are not qualified to make the statement "has to". This is a legal
issue and depends on how the GPL is interpreted. The FSF provides a set
of guidelines and so does Debian. Debian's guidelines are more
extreme. If you look at the FSF FAQ on this subject, the main issue is
ensuring that the source code is always available.

Since Bochs is on SF, as long as we ensure that the version we base on
is always available, you could certainly conclude that's enough.

But please, this is not an issue worth even discussing here. It is only
relevant for people distributing QEMU and it's up to those people to
consult with their legal teams to determine whether they need to do
anything special.

Regards,

Anthony Liguori