In (article and) comments to http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20061107194320461 (Details of Novell-MS Pact - The SEC filing)
PJ: ----- Now do you get it, that "Tivoization" is a metaphor for creative ways to make the GPL toothless? It's a trend, not an isolated event. There's money to be made, and the GPL is getting in their corporate way. What they forget is that the code came with a price. The terms of the GPL are that price. If you look for and maybe find a workaround so you don't have to pay the full price you agreed to, what does one call that? If the price for software you wished to build a business on was money, and you found a loophole way not to pay what you agreed to, would anyone wish to sell you any software from that day on, even if you got away with it? We'd all know what to think of such conduct. Is it any different if the price of the GPL code is that you can't mix it with proprietary code or attach patents to it or take it closed? And if you find some devilish workaround so you don't actually pay that full price, what are you now? Would it be too strong to call it dishonest? I'll leave it to you to decide for yourselves. [...] This is what I am trying to tell you, that this is another in the "Tivoization" of the GPL -- ways to step around and over it, without actually having to abide by it. RMS saw it first, but was he right or was he right? ----- AJWM: ----- This is not "Tivoization". I'm surprised Tivo doesn't start getting nasty about defamation. Tivo is not attempting to circumvent the GPL, they have a designed-in limit in their hardware. They freely hand out the source, and won't sue you if you want to recompile to run on some other platform. Microsoft and Novell, it seems pretty clear, are deliberately attempting to circumvent the GPL. Better to call this Novellization. ----- LOL. regards, alexander. _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss