From: Jeff E. <je...@un...> - 2008-11-29 15:00:57
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There are two separate questions that seem to be asked in this thread. First, and what Paul seemed to be asking: Can someone distribute the binary firmware files such as pluto_step.rbf along with the corresponding source code and meet all the requirements of the GPL? Matt Shaver and I have gathered a lot of information to show that the consensus of the Free Software community is a clear "yes". There's a separate question that is getting mixed in, which is Would the goals of Free Software be advanced if it were possible to develop for FPGAs using only Free Software? This isn't a question of complying with the terms of the GPL. The answer is also "yes". But that doesn't mean that those who are pragmatic and write code for FPGAs today can't release their work under the GPL and let others benefit from it. The second question is a matter of Free Software advocacy, and it's off-topic for this list. Jeff |