eHam
eHam Forums => Microcontrollers for Ham Radio (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.) => Topic started by: AA7IS on February 16, 2023, 05:32:42 PM
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I purchased 'rigpi' from MFJ in download format. I now have a copy of the .img file.
I'm wondering if I've purchased something that can legally be given away to others no charges??
Just wondering considering that it's stolen/borrowed software from many other sources and since the stuff isn't really open source,
how are we to know what's theirs (MFJ) and what belongs to everyone?
After all MFJ has the term OPEN source! all over the page and act as if they are only giving out a complete copy of this source as a favor for a FEE.
I now am in possession of the source (that MFJ say's is open) am I not?
Would MFJ argue in court that they really didn't mean open source?
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you don't have the source
You can actually open that .img file and check out the license agreement and learn whether you can give it away/sell/modify etc.
My only concern with something like that is how old the code is. Lot's of companies do things like this, they don't patch vulnerabilities nor distribute updates.
Good luck & 73
Jaye
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Well whatever it is considered this is where the very latest release is right now.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ht0dbdb764cc5q/Rigjon.zip?dl=0
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I don't own or use this product, but I found this on-line manual:
https://rigpi.net/downloads/RigPi3.pdf
I see a great deal of talk about closed source licensing in the manual.
I also googled up some sort of RigPi project for Sourceforge, which seems to be a source of confusion. It has a GPL open source license, but it also seems to have no content.
It is possible, these days, to distribute open sourced and closed source units that collectively make up a product. It is a long, legally heavy discussion. I have been briefed on it by competent lawyers who study this branch of law. It is not the sort of thing that can be dealt with by the law firm of Google and Bing.
From what I can tell, there's enough easily found talk about "closed source" to make me extremely wary about redistributing this product until and unless someone can find something a lot more definitive than what Google and Bing told me, which is just enough to put me on my guard. A combination open and closed source product is (for lay folk anyway) "closed" in practice.
There are also different open source licenses that give we, the end users, different rights as far as modification and redistribution go.
Just hearing the words "open source" is, unfortunately, no magic wand and may not be accurate in the bargain.
Sorry, more study is needed and non-owners almost certainly can't settle the question for you.