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It's not always about avoiding the GPLv3 - and it's certainly not like that for everyone. I would plead laziness, not evil intentions. Many times, it's just th

by ersii 11y ago

It's not always about avoiding the GPLv3 - and it's certainly not like that for everyone. I would plead laziness, not evil intentions. Many times, it's just that the product development may have started a long time ago or that they're using some previous product or prototype to build on - which uses even older software versions. Development takes time.. Or they could be using some SDK or vendor supplied base for parts of your products. Then they won't have control over the software versions anyhow, in a way. It's very complex and somewhat annoying to keep up with updating all software and libraries in proprietary products. That in itself should probably say something about the security of a lot of shipped products I guess..

jeena 11y ago
The GPLv3 is definatelly the core cause. It is so deep in the minds of those companies, when you talk to them about GPLv3 it is like talking to the devil about holy water. BMW is one of the core members of the GENIVI Aliance (http://www.genivi.org/ http://www.genivi.org/) which tries to bring Open Source (not Free Software) to the industry, to make code reuse easier between the companies. GENIVI has a demo platform (http://wiki.projects.genivi.org/index.php/GENIVI_Demo_Platform#High_Level_Block_Diagram http://wiki.projects.genivi.org/index.php/GENIVI_Demo_Platfo...) which they build with help of Yocto (https://www.yoctoproject.org/ https://www.yoctoproject.org/). Most of the members of GENIVI use Yocto for internal development too. GENIVI provides a layer of recipies for Yocto, which is called meta-ivi. In this layer there is a sample configuration file which many use as a starting point for their development. Most of the other layers which provide this local.conf sample file don't have this special line, but this In-Vehicle-Infotainment layer (you can even think of it like a linux distribution) which is used by the car manufacturers has it: INCOMPATIBLE_LICENSE ?= "GPLv3" http://git.yoctoproject.org/cgit/cgit.cgi/meta-ivi/tree/meta-ivi-demo/conf/local.conf.sample#n77 http://git.yoctoproject.org/cgit/cgit.cgi/meta-ivi/tree/meta...
- xyzzy_plugh 11y ago
  Yep, but it's for patent reasons. I used Yocto for $PRODUCT and we had the same variable set. See my reply to the grandparent (does that make it an uncle or aunt of this reply?)
  - cyphar 11y ago
    > Yep, but it's for patent reasons. I don't see Apache 2 in that list of 1 incompatible license. Apache 2 has an almost identical patent provision (GPLv3 just made the requirement of "apply to all users" slightly stronger).
    - xyzzy_plugh 11y ago
      Because Apache 2 doesn't turn all code it touches into Apache 2 code. I can use Apache 2 code with my secret, proprietary patent-sauce -- no problem. I never have to release any of it, and I don't have to grant anyone any licenses. It is only when I contribute to the Apache 2 code that I grant a patent license. (IANAL)

by ersii 11y ago

jeena 11y ago

The GPLv3 is definatelly the core cause. It is so deep in the minds of those companies, when you talk to them about GPLv3 it is like talking to the devil about holy water. BMW is one of the core members of the GENIVI Aliance (http://www.genivi.org/ http://www.genivi.org/) which tries to bring Open Source (not Free Software) to the industry, to make code reuse easier between the companies. GENIVI has a demo platform (http://wiki.projects.genivi.org/index.php/GENIVI_Demo_Platform#High_Level_Block_Diagram http://wiki.projects.genivi.org/index.php/GENIVI_Demo_Platfo...) which they build with help of Yocto (https://www.yoctoproject.org/ https://www.yoctoproject.org/). Most of the members of GENIVI use Yocto for internal development too. GENIVI provides a layer of recipies for Yocto, which is called meta-ivi. In this layer there is a sample configuration file which many use as a starting point for their development. Most of the other layers which provide this local.conf sample file don't have this special line, but this In-Vehicle-Infotainment layer (you can even think of it like a linux distribution) which is used by the car manufacturers has it: INCOMPATIBLE_LICENSE ?= "GPLv3" http://git.yoctoproject.org/cgit/cgit.cgi/meta-ivi/tree/meta-ivi-demo/conf/local.conf.sample#n77 http://git.yoctoproject.org/cgit/cgit.cgi/meta-ivi/tree/meta...

xyzzy_plugh 11y ago
Yep, but it's for patent reasons. I used Yocto for $PRODUCT and we had the same variable set. See my reply to the grandparent (does that make it an uncle or aunt of this reply?)
- cyphar 11y ago
  > Yep, but it's for patent reasons. I don't see Apache 2 in that list of 1 incompatible license. Apache 2 has an almost identical patent provision (GPLv3 just made the requirement of "apply to all users" slightly stronger).
  - xyzzy_plugh 11y ago
    Because Apache 2 doesn't turn all code it touches into Apache 2 code. I can use Apache 2 code with my secret, proprietary patent-sauce -- no problem. I never have to release any of it, and I don't have to grant anyone any licenses. It is only when I contribute to the Apache 2 code that I grant a patent license. (IANAL)