Re: 'It's just a f*cking kernel...'

[David Kastrup]

Geico Caveman <spam@spam.invalid> writes:

> Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:
>
>>    Precisely what stops a closed source vendor from copying large
>>    chunks of GPL'ed code in their code ?
>> 
>> Same thing that stops most people from not stealing things from your
>> home: the law, and the repercussions of breaking said law.
>
> Irrelevant. The corresponding situation here would be if the thief broke
> into your house, copied your papers, and then left, and if the same thief
> had the right to decide if the police / public could see his papers at all.
>
> Microsoft has the power to circumvent detection (closed source - if you see
> it, you have to sign a non-disclosure agreement). So, fear of law does not
> come into play here.

Oh good grief.  Disassemblers exist.  Bugs exist.  For example, I hit
upon the inheritage of the Z80-based BLS Pascal system when I hit a
bug (1 mod -3 being something like 2 or so) in Turbo Pascal.

-- 
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum