- Simputer for poor goes on sale * (Frederick Noronha (FN))
A cheap handheld computer created by Indian scientists is launched after a delay of nearly three years.
Fred, I think BBC missed the point here. The Simputer happens to be the first hardware experiment on GPL using the FSF mode of development.
CK Raju Thrissur
On Fri, 2 Apr 2004 doxa@sancharnet.in wrote:
- Simputer for poor goes on sale * (Frederick Noronha (FN))
A cheap handheld computer created by Indian scientists is launched after a delay of nearly three years.
Fred, I think BBC missed the point here. The Simputer happens to be the
first hardware experiment on GPL using the FSF mode of development.
Except that the license for the Simputer is non-free[3]. You cannot make commercial use of the hardware :
"Any commercial exploitation of the Specifications (whether Simputer or Simputerized) involves a nominal one time payment to the Trust. The payment will be $25,000 for developing countries and $250,000 for developed countries."
Ok, it's better than nothing but I would be happy if the simputer Trust will move to an opencores[1] style of licensing[2] and become really free.
[1] http://www.opencores.org/ [2] http://www.opencores.org/faq.cgi/section/4/4.1#4.1 [3] http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
"A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms. Thus, you should be free to redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to anyone anywhere. Being free to do these things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay for permission. "
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Alexandre Dulaunoy -
doxaï¼ sancharnet.in