On Mon 29 Jun 2009 14:48, Richard Stallman pondered: > > As Mike has stated - we work on many devices who's products would fall > under the GPL 3's User Products category - who's manufactures have > told us "No GPL3". > > Would you like to describe one such product?
Portable hand held medical devices - such as Glucometers. They fall into both categories. They are medical devices, who's "bad" software could cause a user to give them selves too much insulin (hypoglycemia -> pass out -> seizure -> death), or too little insulin (Hyperglycaemia -> stupor -> coma -> death). Yeah, death is over the top - as most diabetics understand their body well enough not recognise the signs much before the pass out stages - but for the person who isn't familiar with things - it is possible. They are marketted, and purchased by end consumers (Amazon shows 115 results in their search), and I would think that would make them fall into the "User Products". > All the product types > discussed so far are outside the category of User Products. The laws > you cites also seem to apply to things which are not User Products. I don't think I had any links to laws - only specifications. Years ago - I helped develop a cloths dryer which needed to pass UL 1998 - since the cut off switch (open the door, the dryer stops spinning), was a GPIO on a 8-bit microcontroller... White goods are as consumer/user products as you can get - all need to pass some sort of safety spec, when software failures can hurt people. > They have this right - the right to use the software - or the right to > choose something else. They have indicated they will exercise this > right - so far - I believe them. > > If a company seeks to restrict users like you and me, I strongly hope > my software does not help them. And I think that is great that you feel like that. You have every right to limit the use of the software you write and support - just like I have that same right not to feel the same way. I feel that companies should have the right to choose how to use the software I develop, as long they give things back, and I can use it on _my_ hardware (which the GPL2 allows/encourages) - I don't really care what they do on their hardware. That is their business, not mine. I hope that you can respect my choice - and not try to convince me or others that your choices are superior to mine. -Robin _______________________________________________ U-Boot mailing list U-Boot@lists.denx.de http://lists.denx.de/mailman/listinfo/u-boot
