This guest whitepaper presents a series of “best practice” suggestions about how to implement Linux stacks so as to ensure compatibility with proprietary application software. It was written by three Access employees, and at times uses the Access Linux Platform (ALP) as an example of such a stack.

Access has considerable experience cultivating proprietary software ecosystems around its operating systems. Access Systems Americas (formerly PalmSource) counts tens of thousands of developers in its ecosystem for Garnet (formerly PalmOS), the OS that powered countless generations of Palm Pilot PDAs, along with a few recent generations of Treo smartphones.

The paper begins by examining three open source licenses, describing where in the Linux stack they are typically used (kernel, middleware, applications, etc.), and outlining when and where they might “contaminate” proprietary software, forcing its release under a similar license. Specific licenses discussed include:

• GNU GPL, or General Public License
• GNU LGPL, or Lesser (formerly “Library”) General Public License
• MPL (Mozilla Public License)
• Generic proprietary license

The paper then discusses user-space and kernel-space implementations of proprietary software, permissible methods of meeting free software redistribution requirements, and potential benefits of the MPL license for middleware such as the Hiker Application Framework used in ALP.

To learn more, read the full article entitled, “Open Source Best Practice,” a LinuxDevices guest whitepaper by Access staff, here.

 
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