NOS licensing terms

[bruce@pixar.com (Bruce Perens)]

From: Phil Karn <karn@qualcomm.com>
> Bruce,
> 
> I don't understand the problem. The applications you want are mostly
> written by others; my claim is mainly to the underlying TCP/IP stack,
> which you wouldn't use under Linux/BSD/whatever anyway. So why do you
> need my permission to move the BBS code or whatever to another platform?

I'll have to go through the NOS source and look at who owns what.
Before I do that, the problems I'd like to solve are:

1. Alan's AX.25 layer for Linux, which is a port of the BSD X.25, is
   under the Berkeley license. Everything in the Linux kernel must be
   GPL-ed. Thus, while Alan's port can be freely distributed, it can't
   ever be merged into the main Linux source tree. If you own your AX.25
   layer and can GPL it, we can port it and deal with that issue.
   Your stack also handles features that Alan's doesn't.

2. Same as above for the NETROM layer. We _could_ port your code for use
   by Amateurs only, but if I can't get it merged into the Linux source
   tree, and I can't support Part-15 operators and CB-ers (even if they
   _should_ be using something else) it's less desirable for me to do so.

3. Linux clones your definitions, function interfaces, and data
   structures in its own headers. Why don't we simply use your headers?
   They aren't GPL-ed.

4. There is probably other code of yours in there that we could use.

Now, I can't blame you for Linus' requiring the GPL, but it's your code
that has the more restrictive license, so I'd prefer that you loosen your
terms. And yes, I could simply write this from scratch, but with my job
and family there's only so much of my time left for hacking, so it would
take forever!

I'll look at the files and see if I can work out a list of specific items
that you could release.

	Thanks

	Bruce Perens

--
<a href="http://www.rahul.net/perens>Bruce Perens AB6YM</a>
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