The Torvalds Transcript (InformationWeek)

Posted Mar 22, 2007 12:43 UTC (Thu) by jospoortvliet (guest, #33164)
In reply to: The Torvalds Transcript (InformationWeek) by malor
Parent article: The Torvalds Transcript (InformationWeek)

I'm totally with you on this. I think the freedom to RUN the software is as important as the 'you have to share the source' part of it. The world could fully consist of Open Source Software (GPLv2) running on paladium/TCP hardware, so nobody could do with it what they want, except the big hardware and software vendors. I'm pretty sure Linus wouldn't like that, but apparently he's not worried, doesn't care, or doesn't think it's possible.

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The Torvalds Transcript (InformationWeek)

Posted Mar 22, 2007 15:45 UTC (Thu) by zlynx (guest, #2285) [Link] (3 responses)

I don't think that people are really worried that *all* computing devices will be locked down with TCPA or whatever. It always sounds to me that they're worried cheap and easy computers will be locked down.

Does anyone really believe FPGAs, 8 bit micro-controllers, embedded ARM and MIPS chips will *all* be running trusted computing?

Heck, someone with time on their hands could breadboard a 6502 or 4004 chip. It'd be big, ugly, expensive and slow, but it's a computer.

It would never be "nobody could do with it what they want". It'd be "nobody could do with it what they want for less than $5,000".

I guess I'm in the "not worried" and "don't think its possible" camps on this one.

The Torvalds Transcript (InformationWeek)

Posted Mar 22, 2007 18:29 UTC (Thu) by mmarq (guest, #2332) [Link]

"" Does anyone really believe FPGAs, 8 bit micro-controllers, embedded ARM and MIPS chips will *all* be running trusted computing? ""

Absolutely. Its a good way to prevent tampering with some OEM product. And those microcontrollers will have the TCPA in the VLSI design, because at 32nm node they would be too small to be only 8 bit FPGAs.

TPA everywhere?

Posted Mar 25, 2007 2:49 UTC (Sun) by kevinbsmith (guest, #4778) [Link] (1 responses)

With the proper political climate, it could become illegal (in some/many countries) to sell a non-TPA computer. Or to build one. Or even to own one that was built pre-TPA. Hopefully that won't happen, but I can't see any reason right now that it absolutely positively could not happen in the next ten years.

If we have to live in that world, I would still want a thriving FLOSS ecosystem.

TPA everywhere?

Posted Mar 25, 2007 4:44 UTC (Sun) by dlang (guest, #313) [Link]

sure, and it could become illegal to own a car, illegal to drink, illegal to smoke, illegal to be unemployeed, illegal to have a job if you are a Jew, etc

stupid things happen. if they happen in one country, that country will suffer and fix itself or go down the drain.

and the probability of non TPA computers being illegal is infintesimal (just like everything else I listed above, there are people who want it)

if you think about the cost of implementing a full TPA environment, and consider adding that to everything that's run by computer (down to your toaster, coffie maker, vending machines, cars, etc) the cost of forcing all new products to implemtn TPA would scuttle it, and if you look at how it's basicly been impossible for the HD-TV to replace all the TV receivers around the world in anything resembling a reasonable timeframe, what makes you thing that there would be any more sucess in replacing all these other devices?

easily programmable computers are too much a part of the worlds economy for any country to sucessfully outlaw them, even if you ignore people's home PC's