[U-Boot] U-book and GPLv3? (fwd)

Richard Stallman
2009-06-28T20:28:28Z

> I am sure. Those are not consumer products. They are made for
> businesses only.
Wrong, as example your cell phone

For the record, I do not have a cell phone, because I object to the
surveillance they do.

can be a part of the PPT, and your also
have product on the market that allow you to use a PPT at home instead of just
write your credit card number on a website.

Here is the definition from the GPL v3:

A "User Product" is either (1) a "consumer product", which means any
tangible personal property which is normally used for personal, family,
or household purposes, or (2) anything designed or sold for incorporation
into a dwelling.

I am assuming "PPT" refers to point-of-sale terminals, but I can't be
sure of that.

Sale terminals models meant for business use are not consumer products;
whether they contain a kind of cell phone does not affect the question.

If there is a terminal model made for home use, that might be a
consumer product. If so, GPLv3 would require allowing the user to
install modified software. It follows that the bank that the user
deals with would check for a valid credit card in its server rather
than in the device. This is not hard.

> To deny the key to the user is not acceptable. It makes the software
> non-free, and gives the developer power over the user that nobody
> should have.
Certanly not, it will make the product not hackable certanly not the software
non-free.

The reason access to source code and freedom to change it are
important is so that you can use your changed version. If the product
you bought requires changes to be authorized by someone other than
you, that freedom has been reduced to a theoretical fiction.
So the software is not free.