ubuntu question

[ciproxr]

my question is if i download automatix and install all the codecs for dvd playback and mp3, is this legal ? if i run windows software under wine is that legal too ?

Im not worried about getting in trouble or anything but im just wondering are you truly free with linux ?

 

[Nothinman]

my question is if i download automatix and install all the codecs for dvd playback and mp3, is this legal ?

Not unless you've contacted each copyright owner and bought a license from them.

if i run windows software under wine is that legal too ?

That, I have no idea. If you legally own the software then it probably is legal. Also I have no idea how the licensing works for each of those things so it's possible that the license that came with your DVD player is transferable to the Linux software so the above might be legal if you own a proper DVD/MP3 player but I have no proof either way.

 

[soonerproud]

Originally posted by: ciproxr
my question is if i download automatix and install all the codecs for dvd playback and mp3, is this legal ? if i run windows software under wine is that legal too ?

Depends on what country you live in if you are violating patents by downloading codecs with Automatix. I know for a fact that in the US and Japan it is illegal without paying the licensing fees. Most countries however, it is perfectly legal to download those codecs for personal use.

You can obtain the codecs legally by using a distro like Linspire/Freespire since they paid the licensing fees. Another way is to purchase the codecs from Fluendo.

Legal Linux Codecs

Im not worried about getting in trouble or anything but im just wondering are you truly free with linux ?

Yes and no.

Yes in the sense that the software is free for you to change and use according to your wants/needs. You literally own the software if you download it.

No in the sense that there are still restrictions that the GPL puts on the software like you must submit your changes and bug fixes to the person/company you obtained the software and you must make the source code publicly available. There are other restrictions that would make GPL'ed software not truly free.

Open sourced/GPL software is still governed by IP and patent laws. That means they can not incorporate code from proprietary software in to the source code without permission or paying the applicable licensing fees.

BSD licenses have far fewer restrictions than the GPL making them more free compared to other licenses. Apple in fact created a fork of BSD called Darwin as it's base of OSX for precisely this reason.

I'm certain others on this board with far more knowledge of this issue could clarify this more for you.

 

[Nothinman]

You literally own the software if you download it.

No, the code is still owned by the original copyright holder but you have more rights than you would if the software was under another license.

No in the sense that there are still restrictions that the GPL puts on the software like you must submit your changes and bug fixes to the person/company you obtained the software and you must make the source code publicly available. There are other restrictions that would make GPL'ed software not truly free.

No again, the GPL requires you to make any changes that you made available to anyone that you've distributed the software to but that's it. You don't have to make the source public and you don't have to submit your changes back to the original author unless you want to do so.

 

[Noema]

Legal issues nonwithstanding, I recommend against using Automatix, as it tends to do more harm than good in my experience.

Just use Synaptic.

 

[ciproxr]

Originally posted by: Noema
Legal issues nonwithstanding, I recommend against using Automatix, as it tends to do more harm than good in my experience.

Just use Synaptic.

Automatix makes my life alot easier, i dont think i can use ubuntu without it.

 

[Nothinman]

Automatix makes my life alot easier, i dont think i can use ubuntu without it.

In the past it used to force a lot of packages into the system without properly dependency checking which caused issues for people, I don't know if that's still true but I'd be damned sure to steer clear of it anyway.

 

[Brazen]

Originally posted by: ciproxr
my question is if i download automatix and install all the codecs for dvd playback and mp3, is this legal ? if i run windows software under wine is that legal too ?

Im not worried about getting in trouble or anything but im just wondering are you truly free with linux ?

I guess you are kinda stuck with the dvd playback, and you are stuck with mp3s if you purchase your music online, but if you are ripping music from your cds, go with an open codec such as ogg vorbis.

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: ciproxr

Originally posted by: Noema
Legal issues nonwithstanding, I recommend against using Automatix, as it tends to do more harm than good in my experience.

Just use Synaptic.

Automatix makes my life alot easier, i dont think i can use ubuntu without it.

We'll see how much easier your life is when you try to dist-upgrade

 

[timzak]

Originally posted by: ciproxr

Originally posted by: Noema
Legal issues nonwithstanding, I recommend against using Automatix, as it tends to do more harm than good in my experience.

Just use Synaptic.

Automatix makes my life alot easier, i dont think i can use ubuntu without it.

I thought that too when I first installed Ubuntu. Then something went wrong with one of the codecs it installed and I couldn't uninstall it through Automatix or Synaptic. My audio codecs weren't working right and I couldn't fix them. After I reinstalled the OS, I realized how easy Synaptic and Add/Remove are to use in Ubuntu and have been using them ever since.