[U-Boot-Users] [PATCH] add 'license' command to u-boot commandline

[Detlev Zundel <dzu@denx.de>]

Hi,

>> On Mon, Jul 07, 2008 at 04:53:14PM +0200, Wolfgang Denk wrote:
>> > I support this, but then we should *always* print this  message,  not
>> > only  "when it starts in an interactive mode" (or some guys could try
>> > to get away by disabling interactive mode).
>> 
>> Such a restriction is (fortunately) not enforcable by the license, which
>
> It may not be enforcable by the license, but bu the Copyright holders
> of the code.
>
>> only covers interactive interfaces.  Otherwise, it would make u-boot useless
>> for environments where interactive mode would interfere with other uses of
>> the serial port (or when no suitable device exists).
>
> Of course it  must  not  interfere  with  such  situations.  We  have
> standard  ways  to silence console output, and I did not mean to mess
> with these. But if there is console output,  a  "GPL"  message  would
> probably be a Good Thing.

Just to confirm, this was also my original intention.  If we output an
"U-Boot ver. x.y.z" we can surely also output "U-Boot is Free Software
licensed under the GPL".

>> Personally, I'd rather stay far away from invoking any clauses of a
>> non-changeable license that dictate technical decisions such as which bytes
>> to include in the final image.
>
> The GPL does not dictate anything - you have always  the  freedom  to
> write  anything  from scratch or buy the source code for any proprie-
> tary boot loader that comes under another license.  But  U-Boot  *is*
> licensed under GPL, and this is what makes it strong. Over the years,
> and  spending  more  and  more  time on stupid email discussions with
> companies who think they can ignore a  "free"  license  (while  being
> empatic  with their own closed source stuff), I came to beliving that
> a clearly visible label "This box runs Free Software"  is  a  really,
> really good idea.

Full ack.

Cheers
  Detlev

-- 
A stated design goal of Motif was to give the X Window System the
window management capabilities of HP's circa-1988 window manager and
the visual elegance of Microsoft Windows. We kid you not.
                                          -- The UNIX Haters Handbook
--
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,      MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich,  Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-40 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: dzu at denx.de