> Under section 2(c) of the GPL it isn't really an option: > > c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively > when run, you must cause it, when started running for such > interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an > announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a > notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide > a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under > these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this > License. (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but > does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on > the Program is not required to print an announcement.) > > And of course RedBoot does print that sort of announcement (copyrights) > and has done from the outset. It's been strictly incorrect for RedBoot not > to comply with 2(c) for as long as it has (since the RHEPL->GPL+exception > switch). It does seem an appropriate thing for RedBoot to say too.
I don't understand your read of this. By my read, section 2 deals with modified software. This is saying that if a program is a derivative of a program that does print license info, then it's required to do so as well. Given that Redboot isn't really a derivative of anything that (AFAIK) does so, I don't understand how it's required to. U-Boot is also GPL'd and doesn't print any license info when it starts up. > Of course due to the exception at the end, I would not expect an eCos > user's own interactive application (not related to RedBoot) to do the > same as RedBoot. Given that Redboot is just eCos w/o interrupts enabled and some bits of menu around it, I don't understand how you can support this is one case and not the other. --Chris -- Before posting, please read the FAQ: http://ecos.sourceware.org/fom/ecos and search the list archive: http://ecos.sourceware.org/ml/ecos-discuss
