[Dnsmasq-discuss] GPL v3

[Jima]

On Fri, 14 Sep 2007, richardvoigt at gmail.com wrote:
>> It's regrettable that TiVo has been characterised as the bad guy in all
>> this. They're in a position of wanting to do the right thing, but not having
>> the option, because of constraints dictated by the broadcasters (in no small
>> part being dictated by the content owners in turn).
>
> I'd like to agree with you, but I'm confused how TiVo is bound by these
> dictates, but the several fully open-source DVRs aren't.  There's still
> something missing from this puzzle.
>
> Perhaps it isn't "not having the option", but giving up substantial
> co-marketing funds, which their management may consider to be equivalent.

  Moreover, I think it's the fact that no one (or at least no major 
companies, at least that I've seen) is going out and marketing the 
open-source DVR solutions.  If any come up that don't jive well with the 
media companies' way of doing things, they'll likely do everything in 
their power to fight that product, to marginalize its use or capabilities. 
I suspect TiVo saw that response to their (IIRC) first-gen "commercial 
skip" feature, and realized they had to play nice or their product would 
find itself being useless real quickly.
  Just a theory...

      Jima