[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]
Message-ID: <20070614041041.GA6788@brong.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:10:41 +1000
From: Bron Gondwana <brong@...tmail.fm>
To: Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>
Cc: Chris Adams <cmadams@...aay.net>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3
On Thu, Jun 14, 2007 at 02:52:48AM +0100, Alan Cox wrote:
> > What if TiVo had put the kernel in a burned-in ROM (not flash, or on a
> > flash ROM with no provision for reprogramming it)? Would that also
> > violate the "spirit" of the GPL? Must any device that wishes to include
> > GPL code include additional hardware to support replacing that code
> > (even if that hardware is otherwise superfluous)?
>
> As a PS to the GPL3 comment here is the basic difference
>
> ROM - I can't modify the code on the device
> The creator can't modify the code further on the device
>
> Tivo - I can't modify the code on the device
> The owner can modify the code
Tivo gets sick of the endless flamewars on lkml, signs a copy
of QNX, pushes it out to the hardware. No more Linux on Tivo.
You also can't replace that but Tivo can. As I see it the two
are completely orthagonal:
a) Can anyone but the manufacturer upload new software into a
a device without taking extreme measures (soldering a new
public-key-containing-chip onto the board)
b) Is the software currently installed on a device licenced under
a rule which requires the distributor to also distribute source
code upon request.
Now I think it would reasonable to ask that the source code be able
to be built by [same compiler, same flags, same ...] to produce an
identical binary to the one running on the device so you can confirm
that it's exactly the same code. That's separate from being able to
upload a changed binary.
Bron.
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
Powered by blists - more mailing lists