[MeeGo-dev] MeeGo core utiltities, coreutils or busybox?

[Jeremiah Foster]

On Feb 26, 2010, at 11:40 AM, Dave Neary wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Jeremiah Foster wrote:
>> The GPLv3 is a license that protects the user's freedoms. It has
>> stronger legal protections for the four freedoms than say the MIT,
>> modified BSD, etc. That can be "problematic" for certain companies
>> but it should not necessarily be problematic for MeeGo.
> 
> It also has some (let's call them) grey areas around use in embedded
> platforms, which are at best open to debate and interpretation, and at
> worst make it difficult to use GPL v3 software in certain embedded
> environments.
> 
> Specifically section 6 contains previsions that say that if anyone can
> update a GPL v3 component then everyone must be able to. Some people
> interpret that to mean that on a mobile phone, if the operator wants to
> occasionally update the firmware, anyone must be able to update the
> firmware - which requires the publishing of tools to do so, and opens
> the possibility that a user could remove mandatory regulated functions
> from the phone, which would endanger the certification of the phone for
> sale in the first place.
> 
> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/quick-guide-gplv3.html#protecting-your-right-to-tinker
> 
> So it's not quite as clear-cut as you're making out.

I tried to be vague on purpose, perhaps I failed. I am not a lawyer so people should not take my viewpoint as legal advice or even as competent commentary.

> But then perhaps
> this forum isn't the ideal place for that kind of discussion?

Perhaps not. I do think that developers may have questions on this issue and it would be good if we had a canonical source of license information as it relates to MeeGo.

Jeremiah

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