14 ms·

What do you mean by "unable to legally modify and resell it"? I believe I can break my phone open, install anything I want, and resell it on eBay or at a flea m

by ceol 15y ago

What do you mean by "unable to legally modify and resell it"? I believe I can break my phone open, install anything I want, and resell it on eBay or at a flea market. Is your definition of ownership including the software? That's not exactly fair, because you never own software unless you personally write it; any software is installed under a license.

wnight 15y ago
> any software is installed under a license Not at all. Software is sold. Until that changes the EULA is irrelevant. Copyright law has specific exemptions for copying a program in memory, etc, for the purposes of executing it. No license has is needed, making the justification for EULAs nonexistent.
slowpoke 15y ago
>That's not exactly fair, because you never own software unless you personally write it; any software is installed under a license. Technically this might be true, but Free Software licenses allow you varying degrees of do what the fuck you want, while proprietary licenses grant you a (temporary) right to use the software, and nothing else. With FS, I own the copy I received. With proprietary licenses, I don't.
- ceol 15y ago
  I was under the impression that the GPL forced you to release any modifications under GPL as well. If this is true, doesn't this mean you _don't_ own it?
  - slowpoke 15y ago
    The GPL is really a very special case. I can understand most and share some of the criticism of it, but the fact is that it tries to keep things fair for everyone by preserving all essential freedoms. It does this by restricting one freedom: your freedom to restrict the freedom of others. I personally would prefer permissive licenses (or really, no licenses at all, but we're not going to arrive at this point any time soon), and actually use them for some stuff. It's just that the GPL is necessary to force change right now.
    - ceol 15y ago
      Fair enough. I just don't think you really _own_ software in the sense that you can release it under a different license or call it your own work. Kind of like how you own the CD you buy from your local record store, but that doesn't mean you own the rights to the songs on it.

by ceol 15y ago

wnight 15y ago

> any software is installed under a license Not at all. Software is sold. Until that changes the EULA is irrelevant. Copyright law has specific exemptions for copying a program in memory, etc, for the purposes of executing it. No license has is needed, making the justification for EULAs nonexistent.

slowpoke 15y ago

>That's not exactly fair, because you never own software unless you personally write it; any software is installed under a license. Technically this might be true, but Free Software licenses allow you varying degrees of do what the fuck you want, while proprietary licenses grant you a (temporary) right to use the software, and nothing else. With FS, I own the copy I received. With proprietary licenses, I don't.

ceol 15y ago
I was under the impression that the GPL forced you to release any modifications under GPL as well. If this is true, doesn't this mean you _don't_ own it?
- slowpoke 15y ago
  The GPL is really a very special case. I can understand most and share some of the criticism of it, but the fact is that it tries to keep things fair for everyone by preserving all essential freedoms. It does this by restricting one freedom: your freedom to restrict the freedom of others. I personally would prefer permissive licenses (or really, no licenses at all, but we're not going to arrive at this point any time soon), and actually use them for some stuff. It's just that the GPL is necessary to force change right now.
  - ceol 15y ago
    Fair enough. I just don't think you really _own_ software in the sense that you can release it under a different license or call it your own work. Kind of like how you own the CD you buy from your local record store, but that doesn't mean you own the rights to the songs on it.