[SFD-discuss] when your pc gets sick!!!

[Pia Waugh]

Hi all,

<quote who="Przemysław Kulczycki">

> Hiren's BootCD contains unlicensed proprietary software, therefore it 
> cannot and shouldn't be recommended by free/open source software users 
> because its use is illegal in most countries.

There is also a difference between using and distributing something. It is
illegal to distribute the libdvdcss in Australia but does that mean I should
do without dVDs in my house if I use Linux? It is technically illegal to
distribute something with mp3 support already set up (unless the distributer
has paid the mp3 fee), so how does that affect non-technical recipients of
Free Software? Most non-technical people don't know (or care) why their
default Linux installation doesn't support DVD or MP3, it is a problem.

Software Freedom International couldn't distribute something that is
illegal, however I personally recognise that some laws would render us
unable to do many things with our own technology, and where is the software
freedom in that? There is legal revolution in the process as well as a
technology one, with constructs like GPL and Creative Commons leading the
charge. We need to be ensuring that the legal systems we participate in also
reflect the principles of Software Freedom in order to ensure that it isn't
just freedom for geeks, but freedom for everyone.

Just my 2c.

Cheers,
Pia

-- 
OLPC Australia                                           http://olpc.org.au/
Linux Australia                                         http://linux.org.au/
Open Source Industry Australia                           http://osia.net.au/
Software Freedom Day                          http://softwarefreedomday.org/