Messages in this thread | | | Date | Tue, 19 Jun 2007 23:34:03 -0400 | From | "Dave Neuer" <> | Subject | Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3 |
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On 6/19/07, Jan Harkes <jaharkes@cs.cmu.edu> wrote: > > You keep referring to the four freedoms so I googled for them and found > > http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html > > So which of the freedoms did Tivo take away? > > * The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0). > > * The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to > your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a > precondition for this. > > * The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor > (freedom 2). > > * The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements > to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). > Access to the source code is a precondition for this. > > It doesn't seem to me they took away freedoms 1, 2 or 3. They released > the source to any free software components and we can study, modify, > redistribute, improve and release our improvements for the benefit of > the whole community. > > btw. freedom 3 seems to be just repeating what we already got from > freedoms 1 and 2. > > So the only one we could differ in opinion about is freedom 0. I would > say that they in no way are limiting my use of the Linux kernel (which > is the part I mostly care about) I can run the program for any purpose I > see fit. What if I want to run mythtv on my PC at home? Tivo has no > control whether or not I can do so even when my kernel contains any of > their modification or improvements, so I claim that I in fact retained > freedom 0.
Much as I hate to extend the life of this execrable thread, since I think Alexandre makes Sisyphus look like a hard-nosed pragmatist, it seems pretty clear that TiVO impinges "[my] freedom to run the program, for any purpose" if "any purpose" includes "make my TiVO do what I want," and likewise to "adapt it to [my] needs" -- freedoms 0 and part of 1. It is just disingenuous to argue otherwise.
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