[U-Boot-Users] Re: License issues with Xilinx provided files

[Peter Ryser]

>Won't that mean that for any given design that uses a Virtex2/ppc405, the 
>public U-Boot source tree will never be guaranteed correct?
>
Yes, it will be correct because the updates to the U-Boot source tree 
are aligned with reference designs for a set of boards.

>It sounds like the user would be required to maintain a locally modified 
>U-Boot source tree for each design.
>
IMHO, that's good design practice anyway. For every hardware project you 
have a number of software projects that are aligned to the hardware 
features. At any given time you want to be able to go back to that 
source tree if an issue comes up.

>That sounds like a clumsy solution.
>
Configurable hardware is different from static hardware. On one hand it 
is a challenge while on the other hand it has lots of benefits. It's 
definitely not clumsy.

>Could we just set up a common driver library and provide a mechanism to 
>allow a particular board to configure the library for the particular IP 
>versions used in the hardware design?  Then the IP versions are specified 
>in the board configuration file and you're done.
>
IMHO, having a driver library would make things much more complicated. 
Generating the required drivers for a given hardware configuration is 
straight forward.

>Note that no matter what approach is used, there is still the licensing 
>issue.  I cannot, for example, submit certain Xilinx driver files for 
>inclusion into U-Boot that I need to support my board.
>
That's correct. You can not change the license of drivers shipping in 
EDK to GPL. However, if you let me know what drivers you need to have 
licensed under GPL I can get this done.

>Are you planning to add a complete set of drivers to U-Boot?
>
No, drivers will be added on a "as needed" basis. But in the first place 
stuff needs to make it into the source tree that we have submitted in 
the past before we can add new things.

- Peter