Re: Fedora not "free" enough for GNU?

[Alan Cox <alan redhat com>]

> 2) Intellectual "Property" issues
> 
> Hardware vendors don't want other hardware vendors to know how they run
> their hardware so that their design can't be copied or stolen.

Sounds like Microsoft about operating systems - not a good free software
reason at all.

> 3) Inability to build
> 
> Firmware is usually code for some PLD or ASIC, which needs specialized
> (and EXPENSIVE) compilers to build. Most people are unlikely to be able
> to turn the source into the firmware.

So.. most people can't work a compiler but they can still benefit from the
fact there are people who can and do have the tools and use them.

A lot of fancier embedded device firmware is ARM, MIPS or some microcontroller
if you stuff it through a few disassemblers. Most CD/DVD firmware for example
is ARM.

Alan