[wellylug] Linux as selling point.

[David Murray]

On Thu, 2005-08-11 at 08:23, David Antliff wrote:
> On Thu, 11 Aug 2005, David Murray wrote:
> > The manufacturer sold a piece of hardware.
> 
> A piece of hardware with embedded software to Make-it-Work is not the same 
> product as a piece of hardware with no functional software.

True - in one instance the device works as advertised, and in the other
instance it's no more than an ornament or fancy paperweight. Embedded
software is no different in function from the hardware components 
permanently soldered together - all essential in order to make the
device work.



>  The 
> manufacturer sold a piece of hardware containing GPL software - you can't 
> avoid that even if most customers don't care.


True - and the GPL is what permits the manufacturer to freely *use* the
software.


> > But where the product is not software, where the product is in fact
> > hardware that just happens to have unmodified GPL'd software embedded
> > within it as a component, then I'm less convinced that this is the same
> > as the above example of re-distributing a browser that someone has
> > written.
> 
> How do you know it's not modified if you can't view the source, compile 
> and install it yourself?

Well, I suppose I've not discussed a scenario where the manufacturer is
dishonest (and yes I do know there are dishonest people in business).


> What if the unmodified software is found to contain a major security flaw? 
> Where is your recourse if you don't have access to the source?

... a "firmware" update from the manufacturer....?


>  The GPL is 
> designed to prevent this situation too - but in this case you're stuck 
> because you don't know exactly what was used to create the binaries, even 
> if they *say* it's unmodified.

I suppose there are situations where security can be an issue with
embedded software - such as with cell-phones.


Regards,

David Murray

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