On Sunday, March 12 2006 13:30, Omer Zak wrote:
>
> 1. Suppose you use a WiFi card, which can be programmed to transmit also
> in frequencies not allotted to WiFi. Suppose that the software which
> limits the card to legal frequencies is GPLed but burned into ROM in the
> card so that the end-user cannot modify it. Only the card manufacturer
> can (freely) modify it.
> Do we nevertheless require the card manufacturer to allow users to
> modify the card's software, thereby causing interference with their
> neighbors and possibly with emergency services, which use those
> frequencies to communicate?
> Remember that in today's atmosphere, there are several juvenile-minded
> people, who are happy to abuse any system open for abuse (spam, script
> kidding, viruses, worms, etc.).
>
> 2. Suppose you are end-user of a critical medical instrument with
> embedded processor. Should your hacker guest be free to modify ("tamper
> with") the software in the medical instrument and possibly harm you?
>
> In both cases, the public interest seems to be to allow manufacturers to
> use Free Software in preference to proprietary software in those
> instruments, but to prevent unauthorized people from actually replacing
> the software being used in those instruments.
>
In both cases, the public interest is served by means other than the software
license. This is akin to the FSF refusing to include US government export
limitations in its licenses: There is no value in adding the limitation to
the license, as it is already in force by the law of the country; it can only
cause legal problems, if and when these laws are changed.
> Before flaming me, please remember that those are questions which I am
> throwing into the debate to be discussed. I do not currently have good
> answers. Maybe good answers would emerge from our discussions.
>
I was not flaming you; I was flaming Jonathan, and I am sorry I did.
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