Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3

Bill Nottingham
2007-06-14T22:40:23Z

Alexandre Oliva (aoliva@redhat.com) said:
> But how about inside the TiVO, so as to use Linux and the rest of the
> GNU/Linux distro put in there for an even better DVR experience?
>
> Sure, this might still be accomplished on another hardware platform.
> But the TiVO already has all the hardware there, and you already have
> all the software ready to work on it. Except that you can't change
> it. You'd have to waste time and money just to get to the same status
> on another hardware platform.
>
> What do we gain?

Nothing. But that's not the terms it was licensed under, and no matter
what someone may claim about the *spirit* of the license, adding clauses
that restrict how you can deploy GPL software for use is a fundamental
enough change to the practical aspect of the license that it's no wonder
that people will choose not to use it.

If the designers of the license are more interested in vendettas against
those using the software in a way they didn't see beforehand (come on,
explicitly trying to define 'consumer product'?) in order to accomplish
pyrrhic victories (people moving to other platforms instead of using your
newly licensed code), that's fine, it's their choice. But not everyone
will want to follow that choice.

Bill