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

[Ulf Samuelsson <ulf@atmel.com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Timur Tabi" <timur@freescale.com>
To: "Wolfgang Denk" <wd@denx.de>
Cc: <u-boot-users@lists.sourceforge.net>; "Jeff Mann" 
<MannJ@embeddedplanet.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 10:09 PM
Subject: Re: [U-Boot-Users] Proposal for a make option to include an 
additional stand alone program directory


> Wolfgang Denk wrote:
>
>> You cannot link non-GPL code into U-Boot.
>
> What if I use mkimage to merge u-boot.bin with proprietaryfirmware.bin?
>
> If that doesn't work, what if I burn u-boot.bin into flash at some 
> location, and then burn
> proprietaryfirmware.bin into flash at another location, and then I create 
> an an image file
> by copying all of flash?
>
> It depends on how you define linking.  I would say that taking two 
> binaries, one from GPL
> code and one from non-GPL code, and just merging them into another binary, 
> that cannot be
> a GPL violation.
>


If  combining U-Boot with the switch binary results in that you can tftp 
from any
of the 5 ports , and this is not possible without combining with the binary, 
then you
are most likely violating the GPL.

If your version of u-boot has any knowledge about program locations within 
the closed
binary, or vice versa, then you are most likely violating the GPL.

If u-boot is used to start your closed binary, then you are IMO, not 
violating GPL.



Best Regards
Ulf Samuelsson