question regarding eCos license not covered yet

[Fendt Oliver <oliver dot fendt at siemens dot com>]

Hi,

my name is Oliver Fendt, I'm working for a Siemens central division,
currently we want to evaluate eCos, because it seems to be a really
interesting operating system.
But when I looked at the license I recognized a point which puzzled me and
which is not really clear to me, so I want to ask you whether you can
provide me with some clarification.
Here is my question:

1. Is the following the correct license:
eCos is licensed under GPL with the following add on:
"As a special exception, if other files instantiate templates or use macros
or inline functions from this file, or you compile this file and link it
with other works to produce a work based on this file, this file does not by
itself cause the resulting work to be covered by the GNU General Public
License. However the source code for this file must still be made available
in accordance with section (3) of the GNU General Public License.

This exception does not invalidate any other reasons why a work based on
this file might be covered by the GNU General Public License." 

2. For a first look this add on is really good but if you look deeper on it,
it might also bring a problem, because of the last sentence
"This exception does not invalidate any other reasons why a work based on
this file might be covered by the GNU General Public License."

The GPL says for example in chapter 2

...If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program,
and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in
themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those
sections when you distribute them as separate works.  But when you
distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based
on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of
this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the
entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it.

Now the problem is that if I link my drivers and my application to eCos one
would expect that the GPL does not apply to my code, because of the GPL
barrier you defined. But in my opinion all my work has to be GPL'd when I
distribute the drivers statically build in the kernel and all my
applications when they are statically linked to eCos. Because your GPL
barrier does not take care of the "distribution clause" of the GPL.
Furthermore statically linked is not regarded as mere aggregation.
Can you please help me on that question? And I right or wrong and if I'm
wrong, why am I wrong?

Another question I have is regarding the stuff which has to be delivered in
source form, is it also necessary to deliver the config file of the package
database if I want to deliver eCos with a binary only driver, where I not
intend to deliver the sources (assuming that I'm wrong regarding my first
question ;)).

It would be very nice if you can help me. Thanks in advance

Best regards

Oliver Fendt

Siemens AG
CT SE 2
Otto-Hahn-Ring 6
81730 Munich 
Tel +49 89 636 46033
fax +49 89 636 45450
mail: oliver.fendt@siemens.com