Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1755258AbXABEFY (ORCPT ); Mon, 1 Jan 2007 23:05:24 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1755259AbXABEFY (ORCPT ); Mon, 1 Jan 2007 23:05:24 -0500 Received: from turing-police.cc.vt.edu ([128.173.14.107]:58735 "EHLO turing-police.cc.vt.edu" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1755258AbXABEFX (ORCPT ); Mon, 1 Jan 2007 23:05:23 -0500 Message-Id: <200701020404.l0244n3b024582@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.7.2 01/07/2005 with nmh-1.2 To: Trent Waddington Cc: Bernd Petrovitsch , Erik Mouw , Giuseppe Bilotta , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Open letter to Linux kernel developers (was Re: Binary Drivers) In-Reply-To: Your message of "Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:03:27 +1000." <3d57814d0612310503r282404afgd9b06ca57f44ab3c@mail.gmail.com> From: Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu References: <200612162007.32110.marekw1977@yahoo.com.au> <4587097D.5070501@opensound.com> <13yc6wkb4m09f$.e9chic96695b.dlg@40tude.net> <200612211816.kBLIGFdf024664@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> <20061222115921.GT3073@harddisk-recovery.com> <1167568899.3318.39.camel@gimli.at.home> <3d57814d0612310503r282404afgd9b06ca57f44ab3c@mail.gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/signed; boundary="==_Exmh_1167710689_6551P"; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Mon, 01 Jan 2007 23:04:49 -0500 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1753 Lines: 47 --==_Exmh_1167710689_6551P Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii On Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:03:27 +1000, Trent Waddington said: > Why don't you release source? To protect the intellectual property. > Well, duh! That's why everyone holds back source. So allow me to > translate.. > > Why don't you release source? Because we don't believe in freedom, we > don't "get it" and we don't want you to have it. There's believing in freedom, and there's wanting to be able to ship code without getting sued... The binary blob in question is several megabytes in size. Now, even totally *ignoring* who knowingly licensed/stole/whatever IP from who, that *still* leaves the problem of trying to write several megabytes of code that doesn't infringe on anybody's IP - particularly some of those vague submarine patents that should have been killed on "prior art" or "obviousness" grounds. So tell me - how *do* you release that much code without worrying about IP issues? Remember - somebody *can* "get it" but be unable to actually *deploy*. I *get* the whole global warming thing - but I'm not in a position to buy a hybrid car unless somebody else kicks in US$15K or $20K or so. --==_Exmh_1167710689_6551P Content-Type: application/pgp-signature -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Exmh version 2.5 07/13/2001 iD8DBQFFmdnhcC3lWbTT17ARAhBsAKD94N4uNqKFbAWDEXOwE35BzOdwTgCdEPl7 WXg3sJxyUOJjhEj1/SBspMw= =ni+P -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --==_Exmh_1167710689_6551P-- - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/