[ag-automation] cif library

[Robert Schwebel]

While working on a project that contains a Hilscher CIF card (old one,
no cifX) we just had a short look at the OSADL library provided here:

http://www.osadl.org/projects/downloads/UIO/user/cif-0.1.0.tar.gz

As this code looks much cleaner than all other drivers for this card
we've seen so far, we would like to use it.

However, we have some questions:

- The code, and even the code of the library, is licensed under the GNU
  General Public License (GPL, not LGPL), so it is not allowed to use
  it in proprietary applications; the original Hilscher driver is LGPL,
  and as our customer wants to use it in a proprietary project, my
  question is if this licensing of the OSADL code is intentional or
  if the library may be relicensed under the LGPL.

- Is the library under active maintenance? Would this list be
  appropriate for patches?

- The Hilscher library has it's own API, which is unique for all
  hilscher drivers on all operating systems. Is it possible to write an
  API adaption lib that provides the Hilscher API ontop of this driver,
  has it already been done or is it intentional not to be compatible
  here?

Kind regards,
Robert Schwebel
-- 
Pengutronix e.K.                           |                             |
Industrial Linux Solutions                 | http://www.pengutronix.de/  |
Peiner Str. 6-8, 31137 Hildesheim, Germany | Phone: +49-5121-206917-0    |
Amtsgericht Hildesheim, HRA 2686           | Fax:   +49-5121-206917-5555 |