safety-critical systems can use ROM [LWN.net]

safety-critical systems can use ROM

Posted Oct 18, 2006 12:09 UTC (Wed) by svkelley (guest, #37299)
In reply to: safety-critical systems can use ROM by jstAusr
Parent article: FSF should separate GPLv3 changes (Linux.com)

stevenj wrote:
>> And in any case, your flight-management example seems like something of a red herring. GPLv3 wouldn't require you to give me the keys to update ittonly the airline (the owner of the plane) needs to have the keys, and they presumably have both a legal and financial interest in not crashing their planes. (If the aircraft owner does want to crash their plane, your DRM is, sadly, not going to stop them.)

>Which seems to answer your complaint about the first paragraph.

However, this fails when you consider that the avionics devices can be sold to private individuals not just to airlines. Again, you run the risk of serious liability *and* FAA regulation.

Sean

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safety-critical systems can use ROM

Posted Oct 18, 2006 16:05 UTC (Wed) by stevenj (guest, #421) [Link]

If a private individual owns a plane and wants to crash it, witholding keys to their DRM isn't going to stop them. So what exactly does your DRM accomplish?

Your scare scenario just doesn't make sense to me.

Regarding legal restrictions, do you have a concrete example of a current FAA regulation that requires DRMed flight-management systems?