Locked down devices

Locked down devices

Posted Jan 30, 2009 12:13 UTC (Fri) by forthy (guest, #1525)
Parent article: Mobile Linux at linux.conf.au

To be honest, as free software person, I'm not interested in locked down devices; whether they run WinCE or Linux is irrelevant. Locking down a device with Linux on it is already against the spirit of the GPL, and AFAIK Harald Welte managed to "unlock" a Siemens router some years ago with the help of a court and GPLv2, so at least in Germany, it seems to be against the letters of the GPLv2, too.

Android at least gives developers a chance to get an unlocked device, so at least it is not that bad. But the business model of both handset makers and telcos is anti-competitive, and therefore unethical. With the exception of France, legislators don't seem to understand that.

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