Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1760187AbXFTM2I (ORCPT ); Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:28:08 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1754587AbXFTM14 (ORCPT ); Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:27:56 -0400 Received: from embla.aitel.hist.no ([158.38.50.22]:43391 "HELO embla.aitel.hist.no" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S1753971AbXFTM1z (ORCPT ); Wed, 20 Jun 2007 08:27:55 -0400 Message-ID: <46791A35.4000009@aitel.hist.no> Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:14:45 +0200 From: Helge Hafting User-Agent: Icedove 1.5.0.10 (X11/20070329) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Linus Torvalds CC: Alexandre Oliva , Daniel Hazelton , Chris Friesen , Paul Mundt , Lennart Sorensen , Greg KH , debian developer , "david@lang.hm" , Tarkan Erimer , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Andrew Morton , mingo@elte.hu Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3 References: <4671B734.1040401@nortel.com> <200706142155.34298.dhazelton@enter.net> In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 2773 Lines: 61 Linus Torvalds wrote: > On Fri, 15 Jun 2007, Alexandre Oliva wrote: > >> case 2'': tivo provides source, end user tries to improve it, realizes >> the hardware won't let him use the result of his efforts, and gives up >> > > So you're blaming Tivo for the fact that your end user was a lazy bum and > wanted to take advantage of somebody elses hard work without permission? > > Quite frankly, I know who the bad guy in that scenario is, and it ain't > Tivo. It's your lazy bum, that thought he would just take what Tivo did, > sign the contract, and then not follow it. And just because the box > _contained_ some piece of free software, that lazy bum suddenly has all > those rights? Never mind all the *other* effort that went into bringing > that box to market? > > You do realize that Tivo makes all their money on the service, don't you? > The actual hardware they basically give away at cost, exactly to get the > service contracts. Not exactly a very unusual strategy in the high-tech > world, is it? > Not unusual - but so what. This strategy may backfire if users find a way to use the cheap box for something without Tivo's service contract. That don't make me feel sorry for Tivo - they can then sell their boxes with some profit - or go bankrupt for doing stupid business. Similiar to how unrealistic cheap printers backed by ink sales fail when third parties undercuts the ridiculously expensive ink. Or give-away cellphones tied to an expensive provider, being unlocked by third parties so a switch to a cheaper provider will work. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against Tivo - and nothing for them either. Them making a locked device is just a fun arms race to see who can reprogram the bootloader key or find some other clever way to load software. . . > Guys, in fighting for "your rights", you should look a bit at *other* > peoples rights too. Including the rights of hw manufacturers, and the > service providers. Because this is all an eco-system, where in order to > actually succeed, you need to make _everybody_ succeed. > Nothing against a hw manufacturers right - but of course they have no particular right to succeed with give-away hw and expensive service. When that strategy fail due to people operating the hw without buing service then the cure is to charge properly for the hw, not to ask everybody to please stop hacking. Assuming that nobody can change the box after the sale is their risk, and there is nothing unfair about failure here. Helge Hafting - 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/