Re: Re: Free software, proprietary software and Stalin

[Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@xxxxxxx>]

>>"Suresh" == Suresh Ramasubramanian <r.suresh@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

 Suresh> However, Cobalt (IIRC) says that you must download ONLY their patches
 Suresh> (sendmail, bind etc etc), and are prohibited from upgrading your
 Suresh> firmware.  You do something on your own (say compiling a new version of
 Suresh> sendmail / kernel) and your warranty is voided.


        Warranty implies support. They are only willing to support
 what you get from them -- sounds reasonable to me.

 Suresh> ~How~ do they take GPL'd stuff and lock it into restrictions like
 Suresh> this?

        What restrictions? You _can_ download your won kernel. You can
 give away their kernle- and that is what the GPL guarantees.

        Supporting an unknown installation is expensive -- and you are
 probably not paying for that level of support. If you do not like
 thesupport you get, that is something you have to negotiate woth the
 company -- softwqare licencing is not involved here.

 Suresh> Now?  Is ~this~ GPL?

        Sure it is. The GPL talks about distribution -- you can
 distribute their code, and you can do whatever you want on your
 machine. But that would invalidate the model they use for debugging
 and escalation solutions -- and it shall cost them too much to
 suppoort any general environment out thre. I am sure you can
 negotiate a platinum level support -- if not, send me email offline,
 and I'll giveyou any level of support you want -- at a price, of
 course. 

        manoj
-- 
 It is illegal to say "Oh, Boy" in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Manoj Srivastava   <srivasta@xxxxxxxxxx>  <http://www.debian.org/%7Esrivasta/>
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