gnu-misc-discuss
[Top][All Lists]
Advanced

[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

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


From: Geico Caveman
Subject: Re: 'It's just a f*cking kernel...'
Date: Mon, 11 Dec 2006 03:00:04 -0500
User-agent: KNode/0.10.4

Alfred M. Szmidt wrote:

>    > 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.
> 
> It is quite relevant.  The theif, police and/or public do not decide
> that.  The judge judge does.  There is this thing called a search
> warrant you know.
> 

Which is issued when theft is detectable. Pray tell us how is copying GPL
code into code that no one can see, detectable.


>    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.
> 
> Sure it does.  Microsoft doesn't have the means to circumvent
> detection, unless they stop distributing binaries.  You do not need
> the source code to figure out if a program is similar enough, software
> is not black magic.

Let us say that Microsoft ships a windows version (service pack) that does
page writes faster. For starters, this would be hard to detect. Second,
there is no probable cause - Microsoft can simply say they made a better
mousetrap, to borrow a phrase.


reply via email to

[Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread]