linux-kernel - Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3

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Date:	Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:17:24 -0400
From:	lsorense@...lub.uwaterloo.ca (Lennart Sorensen)
To:	Alexandre Oliva <aoliva@...hat.com>
Cc:	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>, Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	Daniel Hazelton <dhazelton@...er.net>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Greg KH <greg@...ah.com>,
	debian developer <debiandev@...il.com>, david@...g.hm,
	Tarkan Erimer <tarkan@...one.net.tr>,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...ux-foundation.org>
Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3

On Thu, Jun 14, 2007 at 11:21:59PM -0300, Alexandre Oliva wrote:
> Consider egg yolk and egg shells.
> 
> I produce egg yolk.  I give it to you under terms that say "if you
> pass this on, you must do so in such a way that doesn't stop anyone
> from eating it"
> 
> 
> You produce egg shells.  You carefully construct your shell around the
> egg yolk and some white you got from a liberal third party.
> 
> 
> Then you sell the egg shells, with white and yolk inside, under
> contracts that specify "the shell must be kept intact, it can't be
> broken or otherwise perforated".

It would be more like not telling you how to change the egg yolk while
still having a working egg.  Only the egg shell guy knows how to put a
new egg yolk inside the shell and close the shell around it.  He isn't
going to say you can't break the shell, just that it you break the shell
the egg isn't going to work as a whole egg anymore, and he won't tell
you how to put it back together with a different yolk inside.  You can
still put the yolk inside another container that you do know how to
assemble around the egg stuff.

> Are you or are you not disrespecting the terms that apply to the yolk?

Very bad comparison.  

> Yes.  This means the hardware distributor who put the software in
> there must not place roadblocks that impede the user to get where she
> wants with the software, not that the vendor must offer the user a
> sport car to take her there.

What if I want to run a program that takes 512MB ram and the hardware
guys put in 128MB.  Now they are impeding me doing the change I wanted
to do to the software.

> The goal is not to burden the vendor.  The goal is to stop the vendor
> from artificially burdening the user.

Not putting in an infinite amount of resources is impeding the user too.
"artificially burdening" seems very hard to define.  When something is
hard to define, you are usually better of not trying because you will
get it wrong and screw up even worse as a result.

--
Len Sorensen
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