LinuxDevices: Update on "Where's the Free Beer?"
May 13, 2003, 02:30 (0 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Kevin Dankwardt)
"Firstly, an Embedded Linux distro differs from desktop/server
distributions in that embedded Linux distros are not intended to be
stand-alone development and target solutions. An embedded Linux
distro provides development and target support in conjunction with
an existing development environment. This existing environment is
most frequently a Linux desktop, although some embedded Linux
distros work in conjunction with Microsoft Windows or other Unix
desktops.
"For the purposes of this article, 'free' means freely
downloadable--either anonymously or through a free registration
procedure. Some freely downloadable software may not be legally
usable in commercial products or on more than one system. Read the
agreement associated with what you download to see the terms of
usage.
"We remind readers that the GPL and Open Source, in general, do
not require vendors to make their software available free of
charge. The intent of the GPL, in this regard, is to make the
source available to those who also obtain binary images so that
they may read and modify their software. We commend and thank those
vendors and other developers that choose to make their efforts
available for free download..."
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