From 3af1a9080d68936eb7be2fd92c1bcd9541cd44f8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2020 11:54:16 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] add first draft openpower eula --- ...022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn | 41 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 41 insertions(+) create mode 100644 updates/022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn diff --git a/updates/022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn b/updates/022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..40f22ad --- /dev/null +++ b/updates/022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,41 @@ +# Intro + +Several things in this update: the OpenPower Foundation released their EULA; +we had a last-minute decision to go to FOSDEM to meet NLNet; we have new +team members helping out and making really good progress. + +# OpenPOWER Foundation releases the Power ISA EULA + +This is a big deal: the +[EULA](https://openpowerfoundation.org/final-draft-of-the-power-isa-eula-released/) +for anyone wishing to create a Power ISA compatible processor, it's been +designed to be "libre-friendly". We will need to do a full review, +and would appreciate feedback on it, via +[this bugreport](http://bugs.libre-riscv.org/show_bug.cgi?id=179). +A very quick read (like, right now): the really interesting bit is the +combination of a royalty-free grant in combination with "if you initiate +patent litigation, you lose all rights immediately". This provides an +extremely strong disincentive for patent trolls to "try it on". It also +actively encourages contributors to make sure that their work becomes an +"official" part of Power, because that then gets them under the +"umbrella" of protection as part of this EULA. + +My only concern - long-term - is the warning about Custom Extensions +potentially being incompatible. We remember the Altivec clash very +well, citing it as a historic lesson "How Not To Manage An ISA", +because both Altivec's vector extension and the one it clashed +with became high-profile public wide-spread common-usage extensions, +and it damaged Power ISA's entire reputation and viability as a result. + +With our extensions being designed *knowingly* in advance to be +high-profile, public, wide-spread and common-usage, we absolutely have +to submit them as "official" extensions, or to work with the Open Power +Foundation to create an official "escape-sequence" namespace system +(ISAMUX/ISANS). As mentioned previously: anyone familiar with c++, +we need a hardware version of "using namespace", in its entirety. + +First preliminary reading however, as Hugh kindly said privately to me, +there's really nothing controversial, here, and it actually looks really +good and extremely well-designed. + + -- 2.30.2