Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1754320AbXFOGCU (ORCPT ); Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:02:20 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1752251AbXFOGCN (ORCPT ); Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:02:13 -0400 Received: from dhazelton.dsl.enter.net ([216.193.185.50]:50390 "EHLO mail.keil-draco.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752233AbXFOGCN (ORCPT ); Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:02:13 -0400 From: Daniel Hazelton To: Alexandre Oliva Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3 Date: Fri, 15 Jun 2007 02:02:00 -0400 User-Agent: KMail/1.9.6 Cc: Bron Gondwana , Ingo Molnar , Alan Cox , Linus Torvalds , Greg KH , debian developer , david@lang.hm, Tarkan Erimer , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Andrew Morton References: <466A3EC6.6030706@netone.net.tr> <20070615041149.GA6741@brong.net> In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200706150202.00345.dhazelton@enter.net> Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1825 Lines: 40 On Friday 15 June 2007 01:38:41 Alexandre Oliva wrote: > On Jun 15, 2007, Bron Gondwana wrote: > > #define Dell CFG_FAVOURITE_VENDOR > > > > A Dell desktop machine is a piece of hardware. The manufacturer has the > > source code (hypothetically) to the BIOS. The BIOS is required for the > > machine to boot and run Linux. > > > > Riddle me this (especially Alexandre, I'm just latching on to Ingo's > > post because it has the right hook to grab) - are Dell required to give > > out the source to the bios to enable people to have the same rights Dell > > engineers do to modify the behaviour of the system? > > What is the license for the bios? Does it say anything about 'no > further restrictions on the freedoms to modify and share the > software'? > > Does it include any mechanisms to stop people from booting modified > versions of the Linux that ships with the machine? Does it matter? The hardware is running a GPL'd project. You have repeatedly stated that if a system runs a GPL'd system then all rights to the system that the manufacturer has *must* be passed on to the end-user. The manufacturer can change the Bios. That's a right they have. Do they have to pass that on to the end-user. Before you answer - this question is *NOT* based on any interpretation or reading of the GPLv3. What it is based on is statements you have repeatedly made. So no claims this being already covered, and no claims that this isn't a situation covered by the GPLv3. DRH -- Dialup is like pissing through a pipette. Slow and excruciatingly painful. - 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/