Does Adaptec behave in compliance with GPL?

Does Adaptec behave in compliance with GPL?

[Karel Kulhavý]

Hello

I have got Adaptec Serial ATA RAID 1210SA. They bundle a CD with it. The CD
contains Linux - the cover says: "The CD will boot into Linux and provide the
following menu selections:..."

I suspect them not to be compliant with GPL because I didn't find neither Linux
kernel sources on the CD nor any "written offer, valid for at least three
years, to give any third party [...] source code", nor "Information
they received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code".

Also studied the brochure that comes with the adapter. It also doesn't
contain anything from the above.

I have put the content of the CD on http://oberon.troja.mff.cuni.cz/mnt for
the sole purpose of evaluating GPL conformance. Put list of the files
into not-on-cd-list-of-files to assist searching in the tree.

Could you please determine if this is a GPL-infringing behaviour or not?

Cl<

Re: Does Adaptec behave in compliance with GPL?

[Pavel Machek]

Hi!

> I have got Adaptec Serial ATA RAID 1210SA. They bundle a CD with it. The CD
> contains Linux - the cover says: "The CD will boot into Linux and provide the
> following menu selections:..."
> 
> I suspect them not to be compliant with GPL because I didn't find neither Linux
> kernel sources on the CD nor any "written offer, valid for at least three
> years, to give any third party [...] source code", nor "Information
> they received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code".
> 
> Also studied the brochure that comes with the adapter. It also doesn't
> contain anything from the above.
> 
> I have put the content of the CD on http://oberon.troja.mff.cuni.cz/mnt for
> the sole purpose of evaluating GPL conformance. Put list of the files
> into not-on-cd-list-of-files to assist searching in the tree.
> 
> Could you please determine if this is a GPL-infringing behaviour or not?

It probably is. But polite thing to do would be to ask Adaptec about
the notice... [Do they have something "interesting" there?]
								Pavel

-- 
When do you have a heart between your knees?
[Johanka's followup: and *two* hearts?]