> If you wouldn't mind explaining *exactly* how this would be "non-free", > and why this would exclude this approach, I would be most interested. Free Software is usually defined as providing a set of freedoms - The freedom to run the program, for any purpose Ok not a problem - The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish Tricky without the keys - The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor Not a problem if the key licensing etc is right - The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others Which gets back into keys again given a modified version might not work The FSF view is this (quoting) "Freedom 1 includes the freedom to use your changed version in place of the original. If the program is delivered in a product designed to run someone else's modified versions but refuse to run yours — a practice known as “tivoization” or “lockdown”, or (in its practitioners' perverse terminology) as “secure boot” — freedom 1 becomes a theoretical fiction rather than a practical freedom. This is not sufficient. In other words, these binaries are not free software even if the source code they are compiled from is free. " In the case of software that is under the GPL license the terms and conditions require that: "The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable." There isn't a clear consensus on that interpretation but a fair number of commentators believe that this would have to include crypto keys if the key was required. In this case of the kernel this has been stated publically by some of the rightsholders too, a point a court generally considers. Attempting to lock up the kernel this way is certainly non-free, and thus doesn't meet Fedora Project guidelines. The legality is a much more complicated question, but one I guess that some day will get tested. In the Fedora case this takes us to Freedom as one of the project goals. Alan -- users mailing list users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe or change subscription options: https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/users Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Mailing_list_guidelines Have a question? Ask away: http://ask.fedoraproject.org
