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Building a free future in embedded devicesBuilding a free future in embedded devicesPosted Oct 21, 2006 15:55 UTC (Sat) by dirtyepic (subscriber, #30178)In reply to: Building a free future in embedded devices by cventers Parent article: Free gadgets need free software
> Because GPLv3's relevance to Rockbox is not in the promotion of Rockbox
I see what you're saying, that the GPLv3 would insure that any device created and distributed with Rockbox firmware be open and free of any DRM mechanisms that limit the end user's freedoms. But do you honestly believe for a second that any given hardware manufacturer in the world is going to rely on independent third-party software that it has absolutely no control, influence, or power over to run their devices? That would be a mind-bogglingly retarded business move. Just consider the QA nightmare that would be. What happens if (when) the third-party decides to move in a direction that directly conflicts with your business plan? What happens if (when) the RIAA comes knocking on your door demanding you remove FM recording capability? What happens if interest wanes out and the project is abandoned?
Basically, to have any semblance of control over the software, the company has to maintain their own fork. With GPLv[2,3] licensed software, they're required to distribute the source along with their modifications back to the user and therefore the community. With GPLv3, they must also provide keys to any DRM mechanisms in their devices which prevent the user from running modified code.
Or, they can just write their own software and not have to deal with any of this bullshit.
Guess which one they usually go with.
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Building a free future in embedded devices Posted Oct 21, 2006 19:35 UTC (Sat) by cventers (subscriber, #31465) [Link] Sure they would. Now, don't get me wrong - it's a scary proposition atfirst. People were really nervous about relying on Linux for anything important.
When you say that relying on independent third-party software that a
1. Free software gives you perfect control, influence and power over the
All the doomsday scenarios you mention:
1. No control? Not true. They can make whatever changes they want to the
Relying on proprietary software leaves you in a mess any time one of these
Building a free future in embedded devices Posted Oct 21, 2006 20:39 UTC (Sat) by dirtyepic (subscriber, #30178) [Link] > All the doomsday scenarios you mention:> > 1. No control? Not true. They can make whatever changes they want to the > software, and if upstream doesn't like them, that doesn't stop them from > using those changes in their own version. > 2. No influence? Not true. They can hire / employ one or more Rockbox > developers, just as some companies hire Linux developers today. > 3. Mainline goes in a different direction? No problem, you can still keep > using _your_ Rockbox. > 4. Mainline devs lose interest and the project goes away? No problem, you > can still keep using _your_ Rockbox.
All of which amount to developing and maintaining their own fork of the software, with the additional requirement they must share all of their work with anyone they distribute the device to. By developing and maintaining their own proprietary firmware in-house they also avoid the above scenarios, with the added bonus of keeping all their little sekrits safe from prying eyes. They lose out on startup costs, not to mention peer review, community contribution, and all the other goodies that are obvious to us on our side of the fence, of course, but somehow i don't think they really care that much.
Building a free future in embedded devices Posted Oct 21, 2006 22:10 UTC (Sat) by cventers (subscriber, #31465) [Link] Well, it sounds like we're wasting our time with all this free softwarestuff then, huh?!
Your argument could be generically applied to anyone accepting free
Personally I think the market is starting to grow up a little bit, as
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