Uruguay violates GPL by deleting root on OLPCs

[Martin Langhoff]

On Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 3:42 PM, John Gilmore <gnu at toad.com> wrote:
> The laptops refuse to boot a "developer's version of Linux".  They
> require a signed kernel and initrd.  Some people call this DRM;
> it's definitely "TiVoization" (check Wikipedia if you don't know the term).

I think it is a very well understood concept around here.

And it is also well understood that not all developers complain about
TiVo. Major projects are holding to GPLv2.

> As Eben explained, the GPLv3 doesn't require root, it just requires
> that you be provided all the info you need to install modified
> software of your choice, in the environment in which the binaries were
> shipped.  "su" is fine, if documented, and it is.

And I think PATH="~/bin/:$PATH" is fine too :-)

> PS: Get a clue, folks.  This is bigger than OLPC.

I understand and value that 'macro' fight, but OLPC, and OLPC
deployments are not the enemy.

You also need to know that OLPC is about a lot more than just
software. We are a very big tent, and we work in some very hard
places. Think of explaining this to teachers, or to the parents of
children.

I can only suggest getting closer to a large real life deployment (not
just Uruguay) to get a sense of the challenges we face on the ground
in the work we do... and to get a sense of what our who our users
actually are.

> locks down the hardware to disallow freedom,

Let's leave hyperbole for another day.

It is a very practical concern -- across the varied world of our
deployments *theft* is a very real concern.

My personal experience in a very cottoned middle-class environment in
latam is that by age 15 everyone in my age group had had something
stolen in one way or another -- mostly in relatively low-key muggings.

I will be optimistic and hope that 1% of the kids needs root at some point.

Most places I go to in latam is about the same -- with of course some
exceptions in both directions.

cheers,


m
-- 
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 martin at laptop.org -- School Server Architect
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