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FSF Uses Android FUD To Push GPLv3

jfruhlinger writes "We've already seen claims from Edward Naughton and Florian Mueller that most Android distributors are in violation of the GPL — claims that the open source community has, for the most part, rejected. Therefore it's disheartening to see that the FSF is using this line of reasoning to push the GPL v3 over the supposedly more troublesome GPL v2. The FSF's press release on the subject emphasizes 'worries' without bringing up a specific concrete case of infringement — a classic FUD technique."

3 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. Locked Bootloaders by ArcRiley · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If Android were GPLv3 licensed we wouldn't have a problem with companies locking down their bootloaders. We could use the energy we currently put into hacking root access on our own phones into improving the platform.

    I obviously agree with the FSF.

    1. Re:Locked Bootloaders by jensend · · Score: 5, Insightful

      If Android were GPLv3 licensed not a single major manufacturer would have touched it and not a single major carrier would have offered such phones.

      Google knew all these folks are way too obsessed with playing the patent game and way too distrustful of having to release all their code to use a GPL3-licensed platform. That's why just about everything in Android is Apache licensed (like BSD but with minimal patent licensing language).

  2. Re:ah FSF by GameboyRMH · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Lemme get this straight, you want to allow tivoization? If so just be honest and use the BSD license, that's practically what tivoization turns the GPLv2 into anyways.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel