Can I use Suse Rescue + few apps in embedded systems for free ?
Hi, I know that Suse is hardening it's license, but I wonder to what it applies to - to whole distro or just non-free SW components or packages. I'm trying to make embedded barebone SuSE distro (kernel+Rescue image+ few apps), but I'm not sure if I can sell it bundled with HW without financial obligations to SuSE ? Any opinion, experience, view ? I know that "ask a lawyer" is common answer, but lawyers in our country don't know what linux or what GPL or what SuSE license is .... Thanks in advance, regards, Rob.
On Tue, Apr 19, 2005 at 04:14:21PM +0200, Robert Rozman wrote:
Hi,
I know that Suse is hardening it's license, but I wonder to what it applies to - to whole distro or just non-free SW components or packages.
It cannot apply to the whole distro, since that would violate the GPL. The SuSE license used to apply to YaST, but I'm not sure whether that's true any more - I thought I heard something about YaST being GPL-ed? I don't know which bits it applies to now.
I'm trying to make embedded barebone SuSE distro (kernel+Rescue image+ few apps), but I'm not sure if I can sell it bundled with HW without financial obligations to SuSE ?
Whichever bit of the distro it applies to, you cannot "sell [that bit] bundled". You can, however, give it away for free. Of course, IANAL, and ICBW. -- David Smith Work Email: Dave.Smith@st.com STMicroelectronics Home Email: David.Smith@ds-electronics.co.uk Bristol, England GPG Key: 0xF13192F2
On 4/19/05, David SMITH
On Tue, Apr 19, 2005 at 04:14:21PM +0200, Robert Rozman wrote:
Hi,
I know that Suse is hardening it's license, but I wonder to what it applies to - to whole distro or just non-free SW components or packages.
It cannot apply to the whole distro, since that would violate the GPL. The SuSE license used to apply to YaST, but I'm not sure whether that's true any more - I thought I heard something about YaST being GPL-ed? I don't know which bits it applies to now.
I'm trying to make embedded barebone SuSE distro (kernel+Rescue image+ few apps), but I'm not sure if I can sell it bundled with HW without financial obligations to SuSE ?
Whichever bit of the distro it applies to, you cannot "sell [that bit] bundled". You can, however, give it away for free.
Of course, IANAL, and ICBW.
-- David Smith Work Email: Dave.Smith@st.com STMicroelectronics Home Email: David.Smith@ds-electronics.co.uk Bristol, England GPG Key: 0xF13192F2
I doubt if the SuSE license will come into play, but the GPL probably will. Most of the apps on SuSE 9.2 (including yast) are covered by the GPL, not other commercial licenses. re: GPL below At a minimum if you distribute GPL apps you must make the source code for them available for anyone that asks. Alternatively, you can always provide a CD/DVD with the source code on it. That is why Novell/SuSE must provide source to everything they distribute, not just the portions they have modified. This even means that if you have competitors in the marketplace and they ask you for the source code to software you distribute, you have to provide it. ie. If Redhat sees a SuSE kernel improvement they like, they just have to ask and SuSE must provide them the source for there use. With most embedded you have to customize the actual code, not just the config. IANAL, but I believe that if you modify GPL'ed code for your internal use, you do not have to make your changes available. The changes are your own proprietary code and you can legitimately reject requests for the changes. OTOH, if you sell a embedded device running modified source or otherwise distribute it, you have to make your modified source available to anyone that asks for it. You don't have to initiate sending fixes back upstream to the actual code maintainers, but if they ask you for it, you must provide it. Sometimes the Samba team requests source code from NAS providers in an effort to improve the basic Samba operation. The NAS providers are not over joyed to comply, but they have no legitimate choice. Greg -- Greg Freemyer
On Tue, 2005-04-19 at 07:14, Robert Rozman wrote:
Hi,
I know that Suse is hardening it's license, but I wonder to what it applies to - to whole distro or just non-free SW components or packages.
I'm trying to make embedded barebone SuSE distro (kernel+Rescue image+ few apps), but I'm not sure if I can sell it bundled with HW without financial obligations to SuSE ?
if its for embedded systems why not use an industrial distro made for that purpose "Damn Small Linux" completely open for such purpose. -- ___ _ _ _ ____ _ _ _ | | | | [__ | | | |___ |_|_| ___] | \/
participants (4)
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Carl William Spitzer IV -
David SMITH -
Greg Freemyer -
Robert Rozman