Linux and the Sony Playstation 2

[David Christensen]

Kevin:

Kevin D. Kissell <kevink at mips.com> wrote on linux-mips at oss.sgi.com:
> The Sony PS2 Linux kit has been shipping for nearly...

If the PS2 is an open source platform, I would like to know that.
However, I do not see Sony on the OSI approved license list:

    http://www.opensource.org/licenses/index.php


So, let me get out my soap box...

When people say "Open Source", the first thing that comes to mind is
software.  But, this is only one half of the equation.  The hardware
must also be "open", or the concept doesn't work.  First, because
attempting to write systems software without complete and accurate
hardware documentation is an exercise in reverse engineering.  The
community can better spend its time on documented hardware.  Second, and
more importantly, because any intellectual property (IP) encumbrance
will make the results pointless in the marketplace.


Closed hardware breaks the community development model.  Vendors who
provide a Linux distribution but keep their hardware proprietary cannot
honestly claim "Open Source".  Vendors who fully disclose and freely
license both their hardware and software have embraced "Open Source".
As consumers, we vote with our dollars. As engineers, we further one
cause or the other by our education, employment, and personal project
choices.


David Christensen
dpchrist at holgerdanske.com







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