------ DRM "Misunderstood" Authored by: OrlandoNative on Tuesday, August 01 2006 @ 05:00 PM EDT Actually, PJ, your *right* to modify your software (assuming you have the capability to do so, or the inclination) is not affected in *any* way. You can still do that to your heart's content.
What *is* limited, however, is your ability to *run* this modified software on the physical hardware... ...since once the software is modified, the unit's manufacturer has no way of knowing whether it, in combination to the hardware, will still perform 'acceptably' - not only in function, but also within any other legally required boundaries (think frequencies in cell phones and wireless devices, or other similiarly somewhat restricted applications). This is the catch-22, as I see it (and apparently Linux sees it) in GPLv3. As other's have noted, however, this *does not* affect your ability to run your modified code on *other* devices - just not on that particular one. Think of it as similar to a firearm. You can buy it, it's yours. But you can't shorten the barrel beyond a certain point, add a silencer, or indescriminately shoot people, even though you own it. And, assuming that it had some software lockout to prevent misuse, would you really WANT to deactivate it? Or suggest that one *should* be able to at whim? We also have 'freedom of speech'; but you can get arrested for yelling 'fire' in a crowd. At some point, common sense is a limit to individual freedom. ------ regards, alexander. _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
