add first draft openpower eula

diff --git a/updates/022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn b/updates/022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn
new file mode 100644 (file)
index 0000000..40f22ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/updates/022_2020feb14_openpower_eula_released.mdwn
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# Intro
+
+Several things in this update: the OpenPower Foundation released their EULA;
+we had a last-minute decision to go to FOSDEM to meet NLNet; we have new
+team members helping out and making really good progress.
+
+# OpenPOWER Foundation releases the Power ISA EULA
+
+This is a big deal: the
+[EULA](https://openpowerfoundation.org/final-draft-of-the-power-isa-eula-released/)
+for anyone wishing to create a Power ISA compatible processor, it's been
+designed to be "libre-friendly".  We will need to do a full review,
+and would appreciate feedback on it, via 
+[this bugreport](http://bugs.libre-riscv.org/show_bug.cgi?id=179).
+A very quick read (like, right now): the really interesting bit is the
+combination of a royalty-free grant in combination with "if you initiate
+patent litigation, you lose all rights immediately".  This provides an
+extremely strong disincentive for patent trolls to "try it on".  It also
+actively encourages contributors to make sure that their work becomes an
+"official" part of Power, because that then gets them under the
+"umbrella" of protection as part of this EULA.
+
+My only concern - long-term - is the warning about Custom Extensions
+potentially being incompatible.  We remember the Altivec clash very
+well, citing it as a historic lesson "How Not To Manage An ISA",
+because both Altivec's vector extension and the one it clashed
+with became high-profile public wide-spread common-usage extensions,
+and it damaged Power ISA's entire reputation and viability as a result.
+
+With our extensions being designed *knowingly* in advance to be
+high-profile, public, wide-spread and common-usage, we absolutely have
+to submit them as "official" extensions, or to work with the Open Power
+Foundation to create an official "escape-sequence" namespace system
+(ISAMUX/ISANS).  As mentioned previously: anyone familiar with c++,
+we need a hardware version of "using namespace", in its entirety.
+
+First preliminary reading however, as Hugh kindly said privately to me,
+there's really nothing controversial, here, and it actually looks really
+good and extremely well-designed.
+
+