Windows firewall squeezes into USB key (LinuxDevices) [LWN.net]

Windows firewall squeezes into USB key (LinuxDevices)

Posted May 30, 2007 9:40 UTC (Wed) by tialaramex (subscriber, #21167)
In reply to: Windows firewall squeezes into USB key (LinuxDevices) by rvfh
Parent article: Windows firewall squeezes into USB key (LinuxDevices)

If you buy one and the answer doesn't become obvious (e.g. its in a folder labelled "Source code" on the accompanying documentation CD) then I guess you will be able to ask the people who sold it to you or those who made it.

We already have someone in this thread who didn't RTFA so let's not ask "where's the source code?" prematurely too or this will turn into Slashdot and I'll regret renewing my LWN subscription.

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Fair question

Posted May 30, 2007 10:12 UTC (Wed) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link]

I think it was a fair question. The Linux kernel e.g. has lots of copyright holders, they have a right to know if the license to their contributions has been complied with without having to buy every device that use them.

Fair question

Posted May 30, 2007 15:52 UTC (Wed) by martinfick (subscriber, #4455) [Link]

"they have a right to know if the license to their contributions has been complied with without having to buy every device that use them"

Actually, they don't. Nowhere in the GPL does it say: you must make the copyright holders aware of any use of their software. The only person whom you must do that to is the person you distribute the software to. If the copyright holders care, it is up to them to investigate, just like it would be with proprietary software.

Fair question

Posted May 30, 2007 18:08 UTC (Wed) by man_ls (subscriber, #15091) [Link]

I don't really know if the copyright holder has the right to ask how the covered works were used, I suppose it is usually solved with a polite request.

I didn't mean anything so formal, OK? But once it is known that a product uses free software, the owners can make sure that their license is being complied with. Maybe posting on LWN is not the best way, but asking "where is the source code" seems legitimate enough.

Windows firewall squeezes into USB key (LinuxDevices)

Posted May 30, 2007 17:05 UTC (Wed) by tzafrir (subscriber, #11501) [Link]

According to a recent review of the product (Hebrew), no source code, GPL license statement or whatever is accompanied, and the reviewer is quite unhappy with that.