J
This raises another issue briefly touched while it still was on automationlist, licensing:
If it is not too early to discuss this I would suggest something in the spirit of this:
The base code is free! No one can make it non free!
The induvidual parts like I/O drivers and logic engines and som one are free, parts can be added that are not free. Some (or all?) of the "basic" parts is allowed to take as an example to build their own non free part.
In this way I/O vendors may add a driver without giving the actual code away.
Other may add a very good controlling engine non free and so on.
This gives the project more substance and a possible money maker without making the entire project non-free.
Of course should the license be written in a way that it is completely impossible to interpret PLC code to automatically be free.
What do you think about this?
/Johan Bengtsson
----------------------------------------
P&L, the Academy of Automation
Box 252, S-281 23 H{ssleholm SWEDEN
Tel: +46 451 49 460, Fax: +46 451 89 833
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.pol.se/
----------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: MIME :[email protected] [SMTP:MIME :[email protected]]
Subject: Re: FW: FW: FW: LinuxPLC: Real Time? Take Two
Stan Brown wrote:
>
> On Sat Jan 22 08:00:32 2000 Curt Wuollet wrote...
> >
> >Hi All
> >
> >Reality time. Directly attached IO cards are the only "native"
> >IO this project has. If you want the best performance, this is
> >what you will be using. No fieldbus, no network, will ever come
> >close to what you can expect from optimised IO on the bus.
> >Every PLC comes with native IO and this is ours. That said, we
> >should be looking at some. In a sense, Ethernet IO is "native"
> >since networking is a big part of Linux, but, It is very early
> >in it's development and not at all standardized. Use IO boards
> >where you would use IO modules on a standard PLC and you will
> >gain all the same benefits, simplicity, speed, and function.
>
> AB makes cards that allow a computer (that;s us) to be the I/O
scanner
> for thire RIO. I ension supporting this very ealry in the project.
>
> Dont' other PLC vendors make such cards?
Hi Stan,
Yes, they certainly do, but, I expect their support for this project to be less than enthusiastic and it's extremely difficult to write drivers without cooperation. It's not easy with cards where they give you all the information you need. Some may give you the information, but, only under an NDA. This is worse than no cooperation, because it legally pollutes the project if any of it gets in. I would expect we can find an independent that is sympathetic and wants to become the reference provider of IO boards for the project. Almost all board vendors make as much money selling drivers and libraries as they make on hardware. I'm hoping the buying power of this group will sway a
board vendor to address this market. We, of course will graciously accept any cooperation from the PLC makers who would like to sell us
IO. That's where their money is also. We already have a board vendor who would like to help on some proprietary IO. ...<clip>
_______________________________________________
LinuxPLC mailing list
[email protected]
http://linuxplc.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxplc
If it is not too early to discuss this I would suggest something in the spirit of this:
The base code is free! No one can make it non free!
The induvidual parts like I/O drivers and logic engines and som one are free, parts can be added that are not free. Some (or all?) of the "basic" parts is allowed to take as an example to build their own non free part.
In this way I/O vendors may add a driver without giving the actual code away.
Other may add a very good controlling engine non free and so on.
This gives the project more substance and a possible money maker without making the entire project non-free.
Of course should the license be written in a way that it is completely impossible to interpret PLC code to automatically be free.
What do you think about this?
/Johan Bengtsson
----------------------------------------
P&L, the Academy of Automation
Box 252, S-281 23 H{ssleholm SWEDEN
Tel: +46 451 49 460, Fax: +46 451 89 833
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.pol.se/
----------------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: MIME :[email protected] [SMTP:MIME :[email protected]]
Subject: Re: FW: FW: FW: LinuxPLC: Real Time? Take Two
Stan Brown wrote:
>
> On Sat Jan 22 08:00:32 2000 Curt Wuollet wrote...
> >
> >Hi All
> >
> >Reality time. Directly attached IO cards are the only "native"
> >IO this project has. If you want the best performance, this is
> >what you will be using. No fieldbus, no network, will ever come
> >close to what you can expect from optimised IO on the bus.
> >Every PLC comes with native IO and this is ours. That said, we
> >should be looking at some. In a sense, Ethernet IO is "native"
> >since networking is a big part of Linux, but, It is very early
> >in it's development and not at all standardized. Use IO boards
> >where you would use IO modules on a standard PLC and you will
> >gain all the same benefits, simplicity, speed, and function.
>
> AB makes cards that allow a computer (that;s us) to be the I/O
scanner
> for thire RIO. I ension supporting this very ealry in the project.
>
> Dont' other PLC vendors make such cards?
Hi Stan,
Yes, they certainly do, but, I expect their support for this project to be less than enthusiastic and it's extremely difficult to write drivers without cooperation. It's not easy with cards where they give you all the information you need. Some may give you the information, but, only under an NDA. This is worse than no cooperation, because it legally pollutes the project if any of it gets in. I would expect we can find an independent that is sympathetic and wants to become the reference provider of IO boards for the project. Almost all board vendors make as much money selling drivers and libraries as they make on hardware. I'm hoping the buying power of this group will sway a
board vendor to address this market. We, of course will graciously accept any cooperation from the PLC makers who would like to sell us
IO. That's where their money is also. We already have a board vendor who would like to help on some proprietary IO. ...<clip>
_______________________________________________
LinuxPLC mailing list
[email protected]
http://linuxplc.org/mailman/listinfo/linuxplc