LICENSE

Notes on GPLv2 WRT the Optiboot bootloader:

In general, it can be hard to interpret exactly how the GPL license
applies to microcontroller embedded software.  Assumptions about
logically distinct applications, oepratnig systems, dynamically loaded
libraries, and the end-user ability to re-compile, re-link, or
re-install, don't quite "fit."

There is a "Bootloader Exception" which seems applicable and I've
included below, but it's current use seems to be in the PyInstaller
utility, which is still very far from a Flashed microcontroller bootloader.

The INTENT of the Optiboot maintainers is that Optiboot may be treated
much like the operating system on a larger computer, and that it's
GPLv2 status has no effect on the application itself.  That means that
there are no restrictions to using Optiboot with commercial, closed
source, or proprietary applications, and no "viral OSSW" infection of
any applications by the bootloader.  The only requirement is that
fixes and enhancements to Optiboot itself be fed back to the Optiboot
project.




Bootloader Exception

In addition to the permissions in the GNU General Public License, the
authors give you unlimited permission to link or embed compiled
bootloader and related files into combinations with other programs,
and to distribute those combinations without any restriction coming
from the use of those files. (The General Public License restrictions
do apply in other respects; for example, they cover modification of
the files, and distribution when not linked into a combined
executable.)



                    GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
                       Version 2, June 1991

 Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
 Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
 of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

                            Preamble

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                     END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

            How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs

  If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest
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convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least
the "copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.

    <one line to give the program's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
    Copyright (C) <year>  <name of author>

    This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
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    the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
    (at your option) any later version.

    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
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Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this
when it starts in an interactive mode:

    Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) year name of author
    Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `show w'.
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The hypothetical commands `show w' and `show c' should show the appropriate
parts of the General Public License.  Of course, the commands you use may
be called something other than `show w' and `show c'; they could even be
mouse-clicks or menu items--whatever suits your program.

You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the program, if
necessary.  Here is a sample; alter the names:

  Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program
  `Gnomovision' (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.

  <signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1989
  Ty Coon, President of Vice

This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into
proprietary programs.  If your program is a subroutine library, you may
consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the
library.  If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Lesser General
Public License instead of this License.