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    SubjectRe: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3
    Let's take a certain class of medical devices into account: ones that 
    are absolutely definitely for medical treatment, but are not life
    threatening if they fail.

    Say, a dental treatment device -- if the device produces a crown or
    bridge that doesn't fit properly, the dentist says "nope" and throws it
    away. No harm done.

    Alexandre Oliva wrote:
    > There may be business models that require the ability to make changes.

    I'd say that its sensible for the manufacturer to attempt to retain this
    ability in every case. You never know what's going to go wrong, so it's
    a plus to have this option so that you can roll out some types of fixes
    without going bankrupt.

    Now, for medical devices, this is tricky stuff: medical devices require
    all sorts of certifications, so modifying your product after you have
    certified it has it's complications. However, despite all the
    regulations it's realistic to be able to do this, and it does happen.
    Hell, windows-based devices in this field download new antivirus
    definitions and run windows update every few days.

    > Then it's fair to enable the user to make changes as well, such that
    > they don't become dependent on the vendor

    Now this is where the regulations get really heavy. If the user is
    offered the ability to modify the device, theres *no way* it would get
    certified. Your business is dead - you do not have a product you can
    sell. In such case, the license has completely excluded free software
    from the market and everyone is forced to use completely closed systems.


    I realise that the latest GPLv3 draft would not pose restrictions here,
    as such devices would not be classified as consumer products. That said,
    talking purely in terms of business models and fairness: there ARE
    decent reasons for manufacturer lockdown in some industries.

    Daniel
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