Dear Peter Chen, In message <1250474437.13885.23.ca...@nchen-desktop> you wrote: > > > > 1. Does jump table means the function lists which the standalone > > > applications uses? > > > > The "jump table provided by U-Boot exactly for this purpose" is the > > list of functions exported through the "include/_exports.h" header > > file. > > At my situation, the standalone program is hardware independent. > And the u-boot supplies hardware interfaces according to different > platforms. > Like at u-boot/board/myboard/myboard.c, there are a function lists > struct, and the address > of this struct will transfer to standalone program.
If you set up your own list of function pointers (in addition or instead of the jump table provided by the "include/_exports.h" header), then this is a form of linking against the U-Boot code, and your application must be released under GPL. > Is it free to license at below situation: > The function list which is defined at u-boot/board/myboard/myboard.c, > and all functions in this list > only uses functions at include/_exports.h and some of user-defined > functions. Your description is really vague; it would be easier if you could give specific code examples or such. If "some of user-defined functions" refers to code that is covered by the GPL, then your application must be released under GPL, too. > Or Need I to export my functions at include/_exports.h? At my standalone > application only uses address of > functions at function list, not the name of function, so It doesn't need > to include include_exports.h. What you implement is some form of static linking. ... which technically is a stupid thing to do, as your application will only be able to run with a very specific binary image of U-Boot. Even rebuilding the same version of U-Boot (jut using a different tool chain, for example) will most likely result in a U-Boot image that cannot run your application code any more. Even worse, ther ewill be not even a clear failure mode, instead you will execute random code. > We would like to release our u-boot under GPL, but standalone Actually you have no choice; U-Boot is already covered by the GPL - as soon as you distribute the code, you also have to fufil the resulting requirements of the GPL. > application includes some IP properties code, so > we want to close it. This is no problem, as long as you strictly follow the rules. I think the exception from the GPL is pretty well defined and leaves not much room for interpretation. What you describe sounds fishy to me. Best regards, Wolfgang Denk -- DENX Software Engineering GmbH, MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: w...@denx.de If a group of N persons implements a COBOL compiler, there will be N-1 passes. Someone in the group has to be the manager. - T. Cheatham _______________________________________________ U-Boot mailing list U-Boot@lists.denx.de http://lists.denx.de/mailman/listinfo/u-boot
