[U-Boot] Standalone/ Derivative work

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Mark Fanara,

In message <AANLkTikG8vxhSBBQcUY5dtrsRGAzFmIeIMMAp7BppJMj at mail.gmail.com> you wrote:
> We plan on using uboot it to boot an embedded application (no OS) from
> flash memory. We would like to extend uboot to be able to download a
> new application program via a proprietary dual-port memory interface
> (custom serial protocol implemented in FPGA). My reading of the GPL
> suggests that adding this type of functionality directly to uboot
> would be considered a derivative work thus requiring the submission of
> the code, regardless of the usefulness of the extension to anyone
> else. Is my understanding correct?

Yes.

> In order to avoid this GPL compliance issue, is it
> permissible/possible to add a stand alone program (i.e. hello world)
> that would be run automatically at startup. The standalone program we
> be conceptually similar to bootp. Should the custom standalone program
> not find software to load, we would want uboot to resume control of
> the system and continue trying to boot from flash memory. Is this
> consistent with the intent of the stand alone program support?

Yes.

Of course one might ask what sort of highly important and precious
intellectual property might be in such a custom serial protocol that
you take such measures to keep it secret.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

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