Re:“Tivoization” and Your Right to Install Under Copyleft
by kmeisthax on Saturday July 24, 2021 @04:41PM
(#27944295)
You have this backwards. GPLv2 had a clear history and language, TiVo worked around it, and then the FSF rewrote history by saying v2 had no prohibitions on installation instructions (so they could convince people that v3 was necessary). It did have those prohibitions, they just were insufficient for what Stallman intended.
Hell, even v3 is insufficient for what Stallman wants; it only requires being able to install new versions of the covered code. It doesn't cover other proprietary programs that can see if you've modified the Free program and refuse to work. You can't actually prohibit that with a license unless you want to go full Ethical Source and start impinging on Freedom Zero.
Yes, this may not mesh with Linus's intent, but Linus already has a very specific idea of how the GPL works that applies to Linux and only Linux. The whole "you can load proprietary kernel modules as long as they don't touch internals" thing springs to mind.
Also, I'd like to point out that people haven't "lost the fight" with GPLv3. There's plenty of libraries out there that use it - they're just not particularly relevant to Linux, so nobody's really pushing for a relicensing effort.
Hell, even v3 is insufficient for what Stallman wants; it only requires being able to install new versions of the covered code. It doesn't cover other proprietary programs that can see if you've modified the Free program and refuse to work. You can't actually prohibit that with a license unless you want to go full Ethical Source and start impinging on Freedom Zero.
Yes, this may not mesh with Linus's intent, but Linus already has a very specific idea of how the GPL works that applies to Linux and only Linux. The whole "you can load proprietary kernel modules as long as they don't touch internals" thing springs to mind.
Also, I'd like to point out that people haven't "lost the fight" with GPLv3. There's plenty of libraries out there that use it - they're just not particularly relevant to Linux, so nobody's really pushing for a relicensing effort.