Thread: ELAN N800 Handheld Touch Panel
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gnexus is offline gnexus
2007-12-30 , 17:02
Posts: 66 | Thanked: 17 times | Joined on Dec 2007
#7
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.
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 My second post was originally made as a joke, actually.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

Do some basic research before grabbing torches and pitchforks :-)
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.