Messages in this thread |  | | | From | Al Boldi <> | | Subject | Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3 | | Date | Tue, 26 Jun 2007 07:17:19 +0300 |
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Alexandre Oliva wrote: > Consider this scenario: vendor tivoizes Linux in the device, and > includes the corresponding sources only in a partition that is > theoretically accessible using the shipped kernel, but that nothing in > the software available in the machine will let you get to. Further, > sources (like everything else on disk) are encrypted, and you can only > decrypt it with hardware crypto that is disabled if the boot loader > doesn't find a correct signature for the boot partition, or maybe the > signature is irrelevant, given that everything on disk is encrypted in > such a way that, if you don't have the keys, you can't update the > kernel properly anyway. The vendor refuses to give customers other > copies of the sources. To add insult to the injury, the vendor > configures the computer to set up the encrypted disk partition > containing the sources as a swap device, such that the shared-secret > key used to access that entire filesystem is overwritten upon the > first boot, rendering the entire previous contents of the partition > holding the source code into an incomprehensible stream of bits. > > Does anyone think this is permitted by the letter of GPLv2?
Yes.
> Is it in the spirit of GPLv2?
No, but that's besides the point.
You can only hold people responsible for the letter, lest there be chaos.
If there is a specific usage spirit you want to protect, then you must formulate it in letter.
> How are the sources passed on in this way going to benefit the user or the > community?
They still have to provide the source by other GPL means of their choosing.
> Is this still desirable by the Linux developers?
Looks undesirable to me, but still valid.
Thanks!
-- Al
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