Open Source License Compliance bei Embedded-Systemen

Open Source License Compliance bei Embedded-Systemen 

( Kompaktseminar, ESE Kongress 2016, in Sindelfingen )

Referent: Dr. Till Jaeger, JBB Rechtsanwälte

Zeit: 28.11.16 09:00-12:30

Abstract: When using Linux and other open source software (OSS), the license terms of the GPL and other open source licenses must be adhered to. As license violations lead directly to copyright infringements, appropriate compliance measures are necessary. The compact seminar presents the essential requirements for a compliance process based on the OpenChain Initiative. OpenChain aims at an international standard for suppliers using OSS in your products.

Outline:

1. What is Open Source Software?
2. How does the open source license model work?
3. Legal consequences of violation of OSS license terms
4. How is it ensured that the use of OSS is known and which licensing conditions are affected?
5. The Copyleft (1): When must self-development be released again as OSS?
6. Copyleft (2): Verification of license compatibility between different OSS licenses
7. Process to comply with sales obligations (for example, source code offer, co-delivery license texts)
8. Methods of quality control

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Alliance: FOSS VLSI/CAD System

Alliance is a complete set of free cad tools and portable libraries for VLSI design. It includes a VHDL compiler and simulator, logic synthesis tools, and automatic place and route tools. A complete set of portable CMOS libraries is provided. Alliance is the result of a twelve year effort spent at SoC department of LIP6 laboratory of the Pierre & Marie Curie University (Paris VI, France). Alliance has been used for research projects such as the 875 000 transistors StaCS superscalar microprocessor and 400 000 transistors IEEE Gigabit HSL Router.

Alliance VLSI CAD System is free software. Binaries, source code and cells libraries are freely available under the GNU General Public License (GPL). You are welcome to use the software package even for commercial designs without any fee. You are kindly requested to mention: "Designed with Alliance © LIP6, Université Pierre et Marie Curie".

ICs Designed with Alliance

• Smartlabs/Smarthome designed a complete circuit in the XFAB XH035 technology (2014).
• Tokai University (Shimizu Lab) designed the SNX, a 16 bits processor in the ROHM 0.18µm (2010).

Useful Links

• Improved Standard Cell libraries and documentation on how to design them, by Graham Petley: VLSI Technology
• A book presenting Alliance in depth: Introduction to VLSI CMOS Circuits design by Carlos SilvaCardenas, Takeo Yoshida & Alberto Palacios Pawlovsky.
• For Spanish readers, a set of tutorials made by Miguel Eduardo Flores Gomez from Don Bosco University: Tutorial de Alliance

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Free And Open Source Simulator Software For Engineers

Free And Open Source Simulator Software For Engineers

0. Qucs
Download Link: http://qucs.sourceforge.net/download.html
Supported OS: Windows, Linux, Mac OSX
License:  Qucs is released under the GPL license and so it is free for free programmers and users !
Qucs stands for Quite Universal Circuit Simulator. So far Qucs is not yet finished, but it is already packed with features. Take a look at the screenshots to get a feel for what it can do.

1. CEDAR
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/cedarlogic/files/latest/download
Supported OS: Windows
License: Freeware
CEDAR LS is an interactive digital logic simulator to be used for teaching of logic design or testing simple digital designs. It features both low-level logic gates as well as high-level components, including registers and a Z80 microprocessor emulater

2. Logisim
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/circuit/files/latest/download
Supported OS: Windows, Linux
License: Freeware
Logisim is an educational tool for designing and simulating digital logic circuits. With its simple toolbar interface and simulation of circuits as you build them, it is simple enough to facilitate learning the most basic concepts related to logic circuits.

3. FreeMat
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/freemat/files/latest/download?source=files
Supported OS: Windows, Linux
License: GPL
FreeMat is a free environment for rapid engineering and scientific prototyping and data processing. It is similar to commercial systems such as MATLAB from Mathworks, and IDL from Research Systems, but is Open Source. FreeMat is available under the GPL license.

4. Logic Gate Simulator
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/gatesim/files/latest/download
Supported OS: Windows
License: GPL
Logic Gate Simulator is an open-source tool for experimenting with and learning about logic gates. Features include drag-and-drop gate layout and wiring, and user created "integrated circuits".

5. Maxima
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/maxima/files/latest/download?source=recommended
Supported OS: Windows
License: GPL
Maxima is a fairly complete computer algebra system written in Common Lisp with an emphasis on symbolic computation.

6. Ngspice
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=38962
Supported OS: Windows, Linux
License: GPL
Ngspice is a mixed-level/mixed-signal circuit simulator. Its code is based on three open source software packages: Spice3f5, Cider1b1 and Xspice. Ngspice is part of gEDA project, a full GPL'd suite of Electronic Design Automation tools.

7. Qfsm
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/qfsm/files/latest/download
Supported OS: Windows, Linux
License: GPL
A graphical tool for designing finite state machines

8. QSapecNG
Download Link: http://sourceforge.net/projects/qsapecng/files/latest/download?source=directory
Supported OS: Windows
License: GPL
QSapecNG is a Qt-based symbolic analysis program for linear analog circuits. In fact, it consists of two indipendently parts: the SapecNG framework engine, and the application gui QSapecNG.

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