[Arm-netbook] Video Decoder library license

[lkcl luke]

2012/4/23 Henrik Nordström <henrik at henriknordstrom.net>:
> mån 2012-04-23 klockan 21:17 +0100 skrev lkcl luke:
>
>>  i've already spoken to dr richard stallman and have clarified that
>> such "system libraries", by virtue of _being_ "system libraries", by
>> virtue of them providing direct access to hardware, are in fact
>> exempt.
>
> You realize that for this to work out in GPLv2 terms there needs to be a
> non-free OS with those proprietary parts, and any GPL parts linking to
> them distributed separately not part of the OS?

 no, that's the point: i spoke to rms: he agreed that those non-free
proprietary "system libraries" _can_ be linked and distributed with
GPLv2 binaries, because they are system libraries, despite being
proprietary non-free system libraries.

 and that the MALI library qualifies as a non-free proprietary "system
library" and thus the fact that it is a) non-free b) proprietary is
irrelevant, because it is a system library.

 however, many GNU/Linux Distros, regardless of the fact that system
libraries are exempt, see "non-free" and flatly refuse to included
and/or distribute them.  others place them into a separate repository
but still allow them to be downloaded through the normal packaging
channels (debian "nonfree").

 l.