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Why would they care if you change the code?Why would they care if you change the code?Posted Oct 4, 2006 14:17 UTC (Wed) by sepreece (subscriber, #19270)In reply to: Why would they care if you change the code? by kleptog Parent article: Busy busy busybox
Caterpillar would not want you to be able to modify the code in their device because if you did, and ran over somebody because the device failed in use, the victim and the driver might both choose to sue the manufacturer for liability in the accident. And they might very well win.
For Tivo there are two issues: (1) their contract with the content owners almost certainly requires them to make a good-faith effort to assure that there is no point where a user can get access to unencoded content and (2) if someone installed software that allowed them to copy content out and subsequently posted such content for sharing, Tivo might well be sued for liability for the claimed losses of the content owner(s).
Companies have to factor their potential liability into the cost of using components. If they believe the financial risk of using the components is unacceptable, they'll go elsewhere.
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Why would they care if you change the code? Posted Oct 5, 2006 23:11 UTC (Thu) by svkelley (guest, #37299) [Link] Well said. And when companies go elsewhere, Linux loses.
Why would they care if you change the code? Posted Oct 7, 2006 14:35 UTC (Sat) by nim-nim (subscriber, #34454) [Link] Think it will fare any better if DRM is generalized?
Hint:
Why would they care if you change the code? Posted Oct 9, 2006 14:18 UTC (Mon) by malor (subscriber, #2973) [Link] I'm not sure whether or not this was sarcastic, but if a company doesn't choose Linux in its DRM-locked product, what does Linux lose, exactly?
You are willing to sacrifice your freedom for a few points of *market share*? WTF are you thinking? The whole point of an open source operating system is to be free, except when freedom would result in a few less locked-down systems running it?
Yes, requiring DRM keys will reduce Linux's market share. But the whole point of a free-software operating system is that market share doesn't matter. It's irrelevant. You're giving away the one thing in the whole deal that really matters for a shiny but meaningless bauble.
I'll give you three beads and a blanket for Manhattan. Deal?
Why would they care if you change the code? Posted Oct 6, 2006 17:37 UTC (Fri) by spitzak (guest, #4593) [Link] That's nonsense. Caterpillar would win the case, as you modified their device without their authorization!
Why would they care if you change the code? Posted Oct 6, 2006 19:01 UTC (Fri) by sepreece (subscriber, #19270) [Link] Most companies are willing to go to significant lengths to lower the probabilities. Juries do sometimes do things you would not expect. The cost of going to law are substantial, even if you win.
I can say that I know of design decisions taken specifically to avoid liability potential, over things with much less potential impact that replacing major parts of the operating software.
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