Slashdot Log In
Nokia Urges Linux Developers To Be Cool With DRM
Posted by
kdawson
on Friday June 13, @08:52AM
from the unclear-on-the-concept dept.
from the unclear-on-the-concept dept.
superglaze writes in to note that according to Nokia's software chief, its plans for open source include getting developers to accept things like DRM, commercial IP rights, and SIM locks. "Jaaksi admitted that concepts like these 'go against the open-source philosophy,' but said they were necessary components of the current mobile industry. 'Why do we need closed vehicles? We do,' he said. 'Some of these things harm the industry but they're here [as things stand]. These are touchy, emotional issues, but this dialogue is very much needed. As an industry, we plan to use open-source technologies, but we are not yet ready to play by the rules; but this needs to work the other way round too.'"
Related Stories
[+]
How Nokia and Linux Can Live Together 154 comments
Bruce Perens writes "Ari Jaaski of Nokia is concerned that the Linux developers need to learn to live with DRM, SIM-locking, and 'IPR'. But they won't. Fortunately, Nokia can do all that it wants with Linux, while being GPL2 and even GPL3-compatible. The key is knowing how to draw bright lines between different parts of the system. That's a legal term, and in this case it means a line between the Free Software and the rest of the system, that is 'bright' in that the two pieces are very well separated, and there is no dispute that one could be a derivative work of the other, or infringes on the other in any way. All of the Free Software goes on one side of that line, and all of the lock-down stuff on the other side." A very interesting read, and a good how-to for any company that is looking to use GPLed code as part of their products, or even just make their products to be hacker-friendly.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.

Say what?!? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm sorry, it sounds like you have your head firmly rooted somewhere dark and unnatural.
"These things suck and hurt both you and us, and we won't bend on that. But we want you to work for us for free anyway."
Holy cow man, listen to yourself. This is our playground and we give you an opportunity to play in it for free; in return we purchase the goods you produce as a result. You play by our rules or we take our playground and our purchasing power to someone who will.
Reply to This
Re:Say what?!? (Score:5, Insightful)
Reply to This
Parent
Re:Say what?!? (Score:5, Funny)
Reply to This
Parent
Re:Say what?!? (Score:5, Interesting)
"We have QT, and unless you give us DRM software in 6 months, you can kiss future GPL releases goodbye!"
Reply to This
Parent
Re:Say what?!? (Score:5, Informative)
Reply to This
Parent
Re:Say what?!? (Score:5, Insightful)
Reply to This
Parent
Re:Say what?!? (Score:5, Interesting)
Hopefully at some point soon OpenMoko [openmoko.com] will become good enough for normal phone usage. Now there's a company that, from the very beginning, has wanted to play by our rules.
Want to get the linux community's support? Asus did it, even though I'm not entirely sure they realized it when they began doing so. By releasing a machine that's linux friendly and not locked down, you're sure to get a community surrounding you that will help even improve the usefulness of your product.
Reply to This
Parent
Here's an idea? Want DRM in your product? (Score:5, Insightful)
Reply to This
Re:Here's an idea? Want DRM in your product? (Score:5, Funny)
Reply to This
Parent
Re:Here's an idea? Want DRM in your product? (Score:5, Interesting)
Reply to This
Parent
Translation (Score:5, Insightful)
Pretty typical attitude in the industry I'd say.
Reply to This
They need us more than we need them (Score:5, Funny)
Reply to This
Re:They need us more than we need them (Score:5, Insightful)
Can you imagine what a cell could become if it is "OSS friendly"? Yes, you will most likely not lock your customers into having to use it, but here's a really novel, radical and completely unthinkable idea: They just might want to use your product because it caters to their needs.
I know it is so last century, but how about making a product again that the customer wants to buy instead of trying to force him to buy it with vendor lock-in snares?
Reply to This
Parent
Emotional? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's about money. It's about vendor lock-in, it's about customer control and about avoiding competition.
They want cheap/free (the beer kind) software, but under their sole control, without allowing the user of the software to apply it to their needs. Sorry, OSS doesn't swing that way.
Reply to This
In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Reply to This
Re:In other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Reply to This
Parent
SIM locks?! (Score:5, Insightful)
Reply to This
Re:SIM locks?! (Score:5, Insightful)
Reply to This
Parent
That's some great logic there... (Score:5, Funny)
I'm sure that will do wonders to convince all of the second-grade OSS programmers to help you out.
Me, I'm not interested. Because you're a doody-head, because you are.
Reply to This
RE (Score:5, Funny)
There is *no* cool way you can word it.
Reply to This
I'm cool with DRM (Score:5, Insightful)
... as long as it doesn't interfere with my rights to reprogram anything using any free/libre software and doesn't intefere with my fair use rights to use the content I pay for.
Reply to This
Have cake, eat it too. (Score:5, Insightful)
Sounds like they are not yet in a position to use open-source technologies.
It would be interesting to see if turnabout is fair play. I'd love to have a free high-end smartphone, but that means taking up an expensive monthly airtime contract. Instead, I'll just declare that I am "not yet ready to play by the rules", take the benefit of the free handset now, and later on I'll sign up for a contract when I am ready to play by the rules.
OK?
Reply to This
Two simple principles: (Score:5, Insightful)
If I don't own it, I can't trust it.
Reply to This
even open source cant make DRM work (Score:5, Insightful)
2) send encrypted data to their computer
3) send key to their computer
4) wait for somebody to take a memory dump
5) NO profit
Even if somebody was to make a binary blob to prevent memory dumps at kernel level, all you need is to run linux in a virtual machine (i hear its good at that) or use some rootkit.
Reply to This
Re:Based on the quotes in the article header, (Score:5, Insightful)
Reply to This
Parent