First small steps toward free GSM firmware

Nick openmoko-community at njw.me.uk
Wed Oct 16 12:23:33 CEST 2013


Quoth Balint Szente:
> On Wed, 16 Oct 2013 11:49:30 +0300
> Timo Juhani Lindfors <timo.lindfors at iki.fi> wrote:
> 
> > Norayr Chilingarian <norayr at arnet.am> writes:
> > > Sorry if my questions are a little bit off topic. Anyway I am very
> > > interested in free fw for my devices - OM gta-02 and n900.
> >                 ^^^^^^^
> > 
> > Afaik the firmware in question won't meet the FSF free software
> > definition or OSI open source definition since you don't have a
> > license that lets you share and change it legally. If you want free
> > software firmware that runs on gta02 you can take a look at osmocombb.
> 
> Isn't the situation the same with osmocombb as well?
> 
> Based on what is written here:
> <http://bb.osmocom.org/trac/wiki/LegalAspects#Usingmodifiedphonesoncarriernetworks>
> can osmocombb considered free software in FSF's or OSI's definition?
> What is not clear for me is that can a software be FSF/OSI "free" but
> illegal to use?

The situation with osmocombb is similar, but not the same. In both 
cases the software is practically modifiable and redistributable, 
but not legally so. In the case of OsmocomBB, I think redistribution 
would be fine, it's just using it that would be forbidden. In the 
case of this firmware, it's forbidden to use it for the same reason, 
but there are also copyright claims which would disallow 
redistribution as well.



More information about the community mailing list