Re: [Fsfe-uk] Explanation of Tivosiation and problems - comments sought

[MJ Ray]

Ciaran O'Riordan <address@hidden> wrote: [...]
> We can see the importance of this by looking at the first company to
> do tivoisation: the Tivo.  The Tivo is a tivoised computer which runs
> GNU+Linux.  The software in the Tivo includes spyware which gathers
> information about the user and automatically sends that information to
> Tivo.

Did Tivo include an auto-upgrader which was used to remove some
functions from the machines, or am I thinking of another similar
product?

Why not call these things locked computers instead of giving Tivo this
interesting reward?

> [...] If manufacturers implement #1 and #2, but told each
> customer the (possibly unique) digital fingerprint and how the
> customer can include it in software, then there would be no problem.

Customer or user or owner?

I feel it would be good balance to the piece if it mentions the
importance of allowing sysadmins to use strong cryptography to secure
their software on their own computers, and how GPLv3 won't hinder
that.  IIRC, there are other licences which seem less careful about
that.

Regards,
-- 
MJ Ray - see/vidu http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html
Somerset, England. Work/Laborejo: http://www.ttllp.co.uk/
IRC/Jabber/SIP: on request/peteble.