The text below is at the end of the SOEM page from the link below.
https://openethercatsociety.github.io/doc/soem/index.html
So how does this work?? The SOEM software itself is GPL, but if you
implement an Ethercat master, you need to get a license ??
That's an interesting approach.
If the SOEM code is all GPL, then how could adding GPL code to GPL code
result in something other than GPL code ?
From a practical standpoint, I think we need to figure out how to get
networked drives connected to LinuxCNC if we want LinuxCNC to live on.
At some point analog servo drive interfaces will become like 5 1/4"
floppy drives... They were once common.
Dave
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
SOEM is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under
the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as published by
the Free Software Foundation.
SOEM is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY
WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for
more details.
As a special exception, if other files instantiate templates or use
macros or inline functions from this file, or you compile this file and
link it with other works to produce a work based on this file, this file
does not by itself cause the resulting work to be covered by the GNU
General Public License. However the source code for this file must still
be made available in accordance with section (3) of the GNU General
Public License.
This exception does not invalidate any other reasons why a work based on
this file might be covered by the GNU General Public License.
The EtherCAT Technology, the trade name and logo "EtherCAT" are the
intellectual property of, and protected by Beckhoff Automation GmbH. You
can use SOEM for the sole purpose of creating, using and/or selling or
otherwise distributing an EtherCAT network master provided that an
EtherCAT Master License is obtained from Beckhoff Automation GmbH.
In case you did not receive a copy of the EtherCAT Master License along
with SOEM write to Beckhoff Automation GmbH, Eiserstrasse 5, D-33415
Verl, Germany (www.beckhoff.com).
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
On 1/16/2018 8:51 PM, Jeff Epler wrote:
Our policy is that any code added to LinuxCNC has to be compatible with
the license terms "GPL version 2 or any later version".
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses
Anything that imposes a restriction on how the software can be used (for
example, if it is claimed that using the software requires an additional
license, as Beckhoff Automation GmbH reportedly does) cannot be
incorporated.
For a rather old thread on exactly the same topic, see this one from
2013:
https://sourceforge.net/p/emc/mailman/emc-developers/thread/20131022150751.GB2631%40unpythonic.net/
Jeff
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