Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1753984AbXFNRPc (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:15:32 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1752389AbXFNRPB (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:15:01 -0400 Received: from emailgw01.pnl.gov ([192.101.109.33]:18934 "EHLO emailgw01.pnl.gov" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1753878AbXFNRO7 (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:14:59 -0400 X-Greylist: delayed 3604 seconds by postgrey-1.27 at vger.kernel.org; Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:14:59 EDT X-Possible-Spoof: True X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.16,421,1175497200"; d="scan'208";a="35378801" Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3 From: Kevin Fox To: Daniel Hazelton Cc: Alexandre Oliva , Linus Torvalds , Lennart Sorensen , Greg KH , debian developer , "david@lang.hm" , Tarkan Erimer , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Andrew Morton , mingo@elte.hu In-Reply-To: <200706132042.02728.dhazelton@enter.net> References:

<200706132042.02728.dhazelton@enter.net> Content-Type: text/plain Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 09:06:31 -0700 Message-Id: <1181837191.21942.24.camel@zathras.emsl.pnl.gov> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.10.1 (2.10.1-4.fc7) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 2149 Lines: 44 On Wed, 2007-06-13 at 20:42 -0400, Daniel Hazelton wrote: > > > > Do you deny that TiVo prevents you (or at least a random customer) > > from modifying the copy of Linux that they ship in their DVR? > > Exactly. They don't. What TiVO prevents is using that modified version on > their hardware. And they have that right, because the Hardware *ISN'T* > covered by the GPL. The hardware isn't directly covered by the GPL, correct. But, if they want to use the software on the hardware, they have to comply with the GPL. The software license can then influence hardware IF they want to use it badly enough. For example, the hardware is perfectly capable of being used to break the terms of the GPL by being used to distribute a modified binary without releasing the source. But the hardware's behavior is restricted by the software for the betterment of all. This whole argument is about the spirit of the GPL. Linus and others think the spirit is one thing, the FSF guys think its something else. Since the license is clearly owned by the FSF, I think they get the final vote on what they "intended" it to be when they wrote it, no? If they say they intended it to not allow Tivoization then believe them, because they are the only ones that know what they were thinking when they wrote it! The GPLv2 seems to allow it though. If Linus and friends want to allow it, then they can stay with the GPLv2. For those who want to disallow Tivoization, choose v3. No worries guys. > Do you understand that, or do I need to break out the finger-puppets next ? Guys, we are all friends here. No reason to be so insulting. Its just a difference of opinion. People seem to be talking past each other instead of to one another. This usually happens when people are basing their underlying assumptions on different things and not listening to the other. Please take a step back and think about it. - 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/