Re: Niches for the Hurd: evaluation method; was: DRM musings, capabilities and stuff

[Arne Babenhauserheide]

Am Dienstag 23 Dezember 2008 12:19:26 schrieb Michal Suchanek:
> Normally you can choose how effective the 'drm protection' is - in (d)
> you can defeat it by using the root handle. However, security
> involving hardware encryption and verification of system integrity by
> means of hardware cryptography device can enforce the 'drm
> protection'. Some applications might refuse to run on system that is
> not known to implement effective protection.

Accessing some service which limits the system in a way which is incompatible 
with the GPLv3 (as soon as central usage gets "interfered with" when I change 
the code, distributing the system in non-source form violates the GPLv3 [1]). 

I think this settles the issue. 

To sum up why a system which isn't designed for this kind of treachery is 
better than one designed for that treachery: 

If my (free) system is designed for treachery, then many system services 
depend on treacherous servers. To make it non-treacherous I would have to 
rewrite integral parts of the system. 

If my (free) system is not designed for treachery, but someone adapted it to 
be treacherous, I can simply undo the changes he/she did (or replace any 
treacherous servers with fake servers which simulate an unchanged system) and 
my system will be clean again. 

So when I am the admin, a treacherous system is easier to use for treachery, 
while a non-treachersous system is easier to use in an honest and ethically 
sound way. 

Non-free systems aren't open for discussion. They can't be used in an 
ethically sound way. 

> Thus I find the Hurd unsatisfactory. 

Then the Hurd isn't for you which settles another issue. 

You don't like its core design decisions and the reasons behind them, and you 
won't be able to change them, so there's nothing you can gain by discussing in 
here. 

If you happen to change your mind someday, we'll gladly welcome you back. 
Until then: Good luck in dancing with the devil. I hope we won't have to pay a 
part of the price for your dance. 

Best wishes, 
Arne


[1]: “Installation Information” for a User Product means any methods, 
procedures, authorization keys, or other information required to install and 
execute modified versions of a covered work in that User Product from a 
modified version of its Corresponding Source. The information must suffice to 
ensure that the continued functioning of the modified object code is in no 
case prevented or interfered with solely because modification has been made.
- http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html , chapter 6

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