Re: QNX Neutrino (new targets, GPL)

[Anders Norlander <anorland at acc dot umu dot se>]

On 5 Jul 2000, Ian Lance Taylor wrote:

>    Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 13:14:34 +0200 (MET_DST)
>    From: Anders Norlander <anorland@acc.umu.se>
> 
>    I contacted QNX about their tools since it would be dumb to duplicate the
>    effort of porting the tools (and they probably have some knowledge that I
>    don't). But QNX refuses to publish the source code for the modified tools.
>    They claim it will eventually be available by CVS and that in the meantime
>    the sources have been put in the hands of the FSF. I don't know if that is
>    true, but I do know that they are intentionally violating the GPL. They
>    are aware of the implications of the GPL and they have been distributing
>    binutils and GCC binaries for a long time, without any source code.
> 
> When I look at the QNX web site, I see this:
> 
>     QNX Software Systems is committed to providing the source code for
>     all GNU utilities (and other software subject to the GPL) which it
>     distributes. Such utilities include awk, rcs, gmake, gzip, and
>     sed. If you can't find the GNU source code you are looking for
>     under the free software area, please contact freesoft@qnx.com and
>     we will make a copy available.
> 
> This is on
>     http://www.qnx.com/cgi-bin/dir_find.cgi?/usr/free/

Well, you will find some software here, but not gcc or binutils. This is
seems to be mostly software ported by people outside of QNX. 

> If you have downloaded a binary compiled from GNU code from QNX, and
> they will not provide the source code, then they are violating the
> GPL.  You implied that you did that, but you didn't explicitly state
> it.  Can you confirm that you have done that?  Which binary was it,
> and how did you download it?

The binary is what is distributed with the QNX 4 and QNX/Neutrino 2.0
platform. Installing QNX 4 with development tools for QNX/Neutrino will
install gcc for QNX/Neutrino MIPS, x86 and PowerPC targets (depending on
what you choose). The versions are gcc 2.8.1 and binutils 2.9.1. I hear
the upcoming release of QNX/Neutrino is self-hosting but I don't know the
version of any tools used, but it is GNU tools from what I know.

Regards,
Anders