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Re: [gNewSense-users] bug #135


From: Kevin Dean
Subject: Re: [gNewSense-users] bug #135
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:10:53 -0500

I don't think there was any doubt, really. The radeon driver is
undisputedly licensed under a Free Software license and doesn't
contain human readable source code, so removed from gNewSense.

That said, despite the license, I've contacted Ericsson's USA
headquarters for clarification: Will Ericsson honor the GPL by
releasing corresponding source or restrict users by not releasing the
source. I doubt it will get a responce but it's been sent.

On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 6:44 PM, crap0101 <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hi!
>   about the bug 135 http://bugs.gnewsense.org/Bugs/00135 , i wrote the
>  FSF. Well, they answer me (look down for the mail) and that package
>  seems not free.
>  What do you think? we can remove it? if yes, how?
>
>  thank,
>  marco
>
>  the FSF answer:
>         
> ########################################################################
>         Hi Marco,
>
>                 "These microcode data are placed under the terms of the
>                 GNU General Public License."
>
>         Ok, but the real question is, do they release an actual
>         human-modifiable source file or is basically just numbers?  (A
>         "binary blob".)  I expect the latter.  In which case it should
>         not be in gnewsense regardless of its license.
>
>                 "We would prefer you not to distribute modified versions
>                 of it   and not to ask for assembly or other microcode
>                 source."
>
>         Well, that is hardly friendly but since all it says here is
>         "prefer" I suppose this paragraph is not a killer.
>
>                  "Copyright (c) 1995-2000 FORE Systems, Inc., as an
>                 unpublished work. This  notice does not imply
>                 unrestricted or public access to these materials which
>                 are a trade secret of FORE Systems, Inc. or its
>                 subsidiaries or affiliates (together referred to as
>                 "FORE"), and which may not be reproduced, used, sold or
>                 transferred to any third party without FORE's prior
>                 written consent. All rights reserved."
>
>         However, this greatly restrictive notice contradicts the first
>         statement that it's under the GPL.  In such a case, I can't see
>         how anything definitive can be said about the license -- all we
>         can say is that it might be free, or it might not be free.  In
>         such a case, it hardly seems like it is a candidate for any free
>         software distribution.
>
>         The paragraph about government rights doesn't help anything
>         either.
>
>
>         ############################################################
>
>
>
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