Phillips too, with their smart TVs running Linux and other FOSS.
They just provide some vanilla random .tar.gz of "gpl source CODE" and thats it, not really the version thats running on the device or that was distributed by them.
The actual binary, firmware, is encrypted too.
0 fucking freedom for a normal user in age of FOS software all around us.
It would have been better with proprietary software. Then I wouldnt have gotten pissed.
Franklin Wireless U770. Running a telnet daemon, I managed to get root through modding an update. FWIW, the default root password is 'frk770' and it appears to listen on the WAN interface in the default config. No idea what modifications the kernel has - I'm not too interested in customizing software running on pwnt Qualcomm chips, I just wanted a prompt.
Sierra Wireless 803s - running Linux as far as I can tell (nmap -O, update files, GPL license text in manual). Once again there's not even really a website for the device, nevermind some token source tar. Haven't yet broken into this device, I'm assuming there's a JTAG on its 60 pin debug connector, but I need to try the easier route of hacking an update first.
The theory goes that manufacturers should realize that obscuring their systems gives them no benefit (especially since they're able to put different copyrights on the parts they actually write eg the webuis), while opening them should give goodwill, but this has not played out in practice. Manufacturers clearly care about some aspects of licensing, given that they'll include license texts/notices/etc in the manual. We need a way of making the two line up.
But the unfortunate reality is that we're on shaky ground. The rise of embedded devices with baked-in binaries has shifted the landscape. In this environment, BSD-style licenses fail Freedom 1 (https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html).
The Linux kernel is the main item that is infringed upon (presumably because its too complex for eg Google to reimplement as BSD like they did with the Android userland). And its developers have stubbornly stuck with the broken GPL2, making it so that even with perfect enforcement (which they also don't seem interested in), make && make install is not an achievable goal.
Phillips too, with their smart TVs running Linux and other FOSS.
They just provide some vanilla random .tar.gz of "gpl source CODE" and thats it, not really the version thats running on the device or that was distributed by them.
The actual binary, firmware, is encrypted too.
0 fucking freedom for a normal user in age of FOS software all around us.
It would have been better with proprietary software. Then I wouldnt have gotten pissed.