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

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Date:	Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:42:06 -0700 (PDT)
From:	david@...g.hm
To:	Daniel Hazelton <dhazelton@...er.net>
cc:	Alexandre Oliva <aoliva@...hat.com>,
	Linus Torvalds <torvalds@...ux-foundation.org>,
	Al Viro <viro@....linux.org.uk>,
	Bernd Schmidt <bernds_cb1@...nline.de>,
	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
	Ingo Molnar <mingo@...e.hu>, Greg KH <greg@...ah.com>,
	debian developer <debiandev@...il.com>,
	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 Tue, 19 Jun 2007, Daniel Hazelton wrote:

>> Dispute this:
>>
>> non-tivoized hardware => users can scratch their itches => more
>> contributions from these users
>>
>> tivoized hardware => users can't scratch their itches => fewer
>> contributions from these users
>
> Linus doesn't have to. Statistically the number of people that will even think
> of modifying the code running on a "tivoized" device is minute - at most 5%
> of the users of such a device. Of those people the ones with the skill to
> actually do the work is an even smaller number - figure 2.5 to 3% of them. Of
> those  with the skill, probably about 10% of them are actually *good* enough
> at it for their changes to be useful. Of that number, figure that only 25%,
> at most, will contribute the changes back.
>
> Apply that to a sample case:
> "tivoized" device total users: 1,000,000
> people that think about modifying: 50,000 (5%)
> people with skill: 1500 (3%)
> people who are good enough for the changes to be useful: 150 (10%)
> those who will contribute them back: 38 (25%)

based on my experiance looking at the software released for tivos, I think 
you are over-estimating these numbers. if there are more then a dozen 
people producing things that are good enough to be useful and releasing 
their results as opensource software I would be surprised.

and for all that the FSF is claiming that tivos can't being modified it's 
really not that hard to change.

David Lang
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