Zyxel Linux firmware sources

Christopher Browne cbbrowne-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org
Sun Oct 3 20:01:51 UTC 2010


On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 3:51 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh-pmF8o41NoarQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Note: the source you get is most likely not enough for you to build a new
> firmware load.  Parts of the firmware image likely include proprietary
> things like a GUI for operating the device.  The manufacturer will
> probably claim that kernel modules to drive specific devices are not
> GPLed; this claim is common but not clearly true.

Well, and anything from /sbin/init onwards is NOT "linked to the
kernel," and could very well be implemented independently by the
vendor.

With the Kobo, that appears to be the case.  There's a project at
GitHub publishing the GPLed bits, which are the kernel, BusyBox, and
various libraries.  <http://github.com/kobolabs/Kobo-Reader>

There are presumably rather material portions beyond that which were
written by the Kobo folk that aren't GPLed or linked to GPLed code.
If you boot one at a Chapters store, you'll see a message mentioning
that there's Adobe code in there.  (Interesting that they'd thus
advertise Adobe!)
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