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Is Linksys Violating The GPL?

Posted by timothy on from the could-just-be-a-glitch dept.

jap writes "According to this post on LKML, Linksys is shipping firmware for (at least their) 802.11g access-points based on Linux - without any sourcecode available or mentioning of it on their site. This could be interesting: it might provide the possibility of building an ueber-cool accesspoint firmware with IPsec and native ipv6 support etc etc, using this information!"

4 of 524 comments (clear)

  1. And in an office in Redmond... by Ciderx · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Steve Bullmer is reading that post, shaking his head and muttering, "I told em. Viral". And then throwing another 50 dollar note onto the fire.

  2. Re:I'm not sure by tomstdenis · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Shhh.

    RMS wants his cookie. The fact that it's not particularly good for him is something he doesn't care to acknowledge.

    This is why people should use my TDCAL license I've applied to LibTomCrypt and LibTomMath. Basically you may use my libraries for whatever you want including commercial redistribution, without having to please the author [e.g. release source, send money, etc...]

    http://libtomcrypt.org

    This sort of license permits all sorts of users to use my libraries. And yes, I do get feedback from commercial developers. They occasionally send in bug reports/suggestions that help the library.

    So in a nutshell I release code that people like, they help me [occasionally] in return and they're not stuck up the ass to use it in their commercial software [like the GPL].

    Tom

    --
    Someday, I'll have a real sig.
  3. umm by dtfinch · · Score: 2, Redundant

    Unless they modified GPL'd source code, I don't see why they would have to redistribute the source or restate the GPL.

    If I put Linux on one computer and wrote software that ran on top of it, without modifying any of the GPL'd source, I would have no such obligation. And I could sell that computer to someone, with Linux installed, along with my own software, and still not be obligated to release any source. Why should it be different if, say, I put it on a million smaller computers and sold them?

  4. Cisco IOS? I don't think so... by CrocOS · · Score: 0, Redundant

    If they wanted the advantages of a Linux-like system, they'd just choose BSD... which has the best TCP/IP support - bar none.

    There is a reason that the BSD TCP/IP implementation has been ported to so many different platforms =)

    --

    I should really get around to creating a sig.... Nah - too lazy =)