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Open Source at TiVo

Posted by michael on from the small-price-to-pay dept.

CowboyRobot writes "ACM Queue has an article by TiVo co-founder Jim Barton, in which he explains how the company relies on open source technologies to create a closed-source product. A good lesson in how other companies can do the same. From the article: Careful management of our sources to abide by the terms of the GNU General Public License while protecting our proprietary developments is a small price to pay for this benefit."

5 of 226 comments (clear)

  1. finally by Boromir+son+of+Faram · · Score: -1, Troll

    I don't know why we let them get away with it all this time. For those who don't know, TiVo runs a modified version of Linux, which is protected by the GPL. Therefore, legally they have always been required to release their source. I guess the Slashdot crowd has always let them slide because they're jizzing their tighty whities over being able to watch 20 hours of Simpson's episodes in an afternoon. If we don't look out for our rights, no one will. Let's give 'em hell.

    --

    Boromir, son of Faramir, King of Gondor and Minas Tirith
  2. Didn't manage the source well enough. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Then why are they using System V code?

  3. Re:I thought we already knew this? by stratjakt · · Score: -1, Troll

    WiFiPoDVo!

    I like every overpriced piece of hardware that is either a) running some kind of Free as in whoopty do software (tivo), or b) made by Apple (iPod), c) works better on paper than real life (wifi)

    Ideally WiFiPoDVo would record only the first 25 minutes of a half hour show (or better yet - the wrong time on the wrong channel!), be produced by Apple, and run the HURD. It will cost upwards of 600 dollars and match my purse.

    Hooray!

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  4. Re:Isn't TIVO bankrupt yet? by jwilloug · · Score: 0, Troll

    TiVo doesn't sell hardware. They sell a subscription service to some end users, and they sell the TiVo software to hardware manufactures that want to make a non-crappy PVR (including several cable and satalite providers, DirecTV in particular).

  5. Why don't people hack TiVo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    It seems like an obvious thing to do to avoid paying $12 a month for data that is freely available anyway. People go out of their way to hack the XBox and Lexmark printer cartridges, and are outraged when the companies that make these products tell them they shouldn't do that. Why does TiVo get special treatment? They don't even release their source. They only release what they absolutely must under GPL, so I wouldn't consider them OSS friendly. They do a lot more taking than giving.