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What is copyright status of some gdb files ?




Hi Reinhard,

I have 3 files in gdb which I directly copied from the linux kernel
sources in an effort to make gdb able to compile & debug
390 machines from non 390 machines.

Is there a problem with copyright here ?


These s390-gdbregs.h & s390-regs-common.h were written
entirely from scratch by members of the linux for s390 group here.

sigcontext.h is loosely based on other architecture versions of this code.


> > I'm not clear on the copyright status of the files:
> >         s390-gdbregs.
> >         s390-regs-common.h
> >         sigcontext.h
> >    which were lifted from the Linux kernel.
> >
> >    Does IBM currently control the copyright on those
> >    files?
> I'm no legal genius,
> Well they are under GPL so I think Richard Stallman
> & Linus can fight about ownership & may the best loyar win.
> The files are required to.
> 1) To keep the kernels register formats compatible with gdb.
> 2) Remote debugging.
> 3) Backchaining out of signal handlers.

I'm not a lawyer either.  However, I do know (and I'm probably going to
get flamed for suggesting this) that the Linux kernel group are no where
near as strict as the FSF is when it comes to copyright assignment.
Because something is in the Linux kernel, it isn't safe to assume that
the FSF own the code and it can be included in the GDB sources.

If the heratage of these files isn't clear then I can't accept them :-(

Other targets have created local definitions that mirror the kernel
structures and this has worked.  This might run against the grain.
However, remember, the kernel can't (ok shouldn't) change fundamental
interfaces such as this without also changing the system call interface.

With regard local/remote there is a general problem that hasn't been
solved.

D.J. Barrow Linux for S/390 kernel developer
eMail: djbarrow@de.ibm.com,barrow_dj@yahoo.com
Phone: +49-(0)7031-16-2583
IBM Germany Lab, Schönaicherstr. 220, 71032 Böblingen



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