ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

December 19th, 2007
According to their websitewebsite :
OTOH, the N800 uses Linux. Unless somehow Nokia set them up using Symbian, their code is built upon GPL code. Therefore someone (the FSF), needs to force the GPL down their throat and get them to toss up their cookies and code :D

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

We want our FREE remotes! ;)

NOW!!!! :eek:

Somebody, everybody, PLEASE call or email the FSF

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

ok, correct me if i'm wrong, but a company is taking a 200 dollar piece of hardware, and hiking the price 1000 bucks because they added an application that is in violation of the GPL? wow... people have sunk to a new low.

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

Yes, it seems it's true!

So here it goes - please everyone write to your ( free! ) lawyer:

Also, for additional information, the GPL is enforced by the Software Freedom Law Center, who just recently settled a similar lawsuit concerning Busybox, which is the primary underlying foundation for the Nokia tablets, along with other GNU stuff and the Linux Kernel, which are all GPL.

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

This paragraph is wrong in many ways. You can make closed system like this without violaing anything and still use linux as a kernel. You can even mix free and closed stuff in userspace like Nokia is doing in firmware of their tablets.
Do some basic research before grabbing torches and pitchforks :-)

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

When checking their specs http://www.elanhomesystems.com/produ...N800_specs.asp it looks like stock Nokia firmware with preinstalled custom application (perhaps locked to device MAC address). This is not different from e.g. preinstalling Navicore and selling N800 as car navigation system. And no Navicore don't need to give us their sources.

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

I'm a programmer by profession and real familiar with all that. . .

Geez... Fanoush, chill out a bit! It seems everybody on this site takes things a bit too seriously. My second post was originally made as a joke, actually. Then, later, after the other guys post, I decided WTF, might as well see if it's possible to get some code to reuse ;)

I think it is YOU who needs to do the research. I'm not just a programmer. I also have a bit of legal experience. It's not just the kernel we are talking about here. It's busybox, Gnome and all the other libraries involved in the OS and the application. This product not simplay an N800 with some extra GUI stuff (well, actually. . .). It is being marketed and sold as a new distinct product. Therefore they, and not Nokia, have to publish all the code they use that uses or links to any GPL code, or at least provide a link for it or a way to get it. They are not doing that. So they are breaking the GPL and are liable for copyright (left?) infringement unless they correct the situation.

I'm not saying they have to publish all their code. Only the GPL stuff. It's just like Nokia or anyone else.

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

RESEARCH!!
I'm all for torches and pitchforks!
How about some tar also?

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

Well there is still a lot of people absolutely clueless about GPL so any joke about this just feeds the FUD Microsoft and others pushed few years ago (about GPL being viral, communistic etc.).
Well they need to provide sources only to their changes to GPL stuff (if any). And only to customers who actually bought the device, not any random person on the net. If they simply took N800 box from Nokia and added their proprietary application, they can just point to Nokia repositories. Even documentation that comes with the device should be enough (both Control panel->About and Nokia printed manuals).

Re: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
 

Yeah, the real GNU one, not that cheap busybox rubbish. That will teach them! ;-)