Tivo-ization
I can afford one. But if I got one I would lose rights I treasure. I can't upgrade a TiVo without violating its contract. I can't really buy a TiVo (only TiVo services), and I remain under the control of TiVo for the life of the product. Yet TiVo is based, at least in part, on some GPL code.
I'll buy a TiVo (or something like it) only when I can get one that gives me all the rights I have with my old VCR, not before.
In the debate over GPL v. 3.0, a lot of discussion has apparently gone on regarding TiVo-ization. The Association for Competitive Technology, which the Free Software Foundation derides as "a Microsoft front group" describes TiVo-ization as "the merging of free and proprietary software into a single system." (I don't want you taking this out of context. The link is to ACT President Jonathan Zuck's entire C|Net article on the subject.)
This is not the case, asserts the FSF:
"TiVo-ization" means building systems on top of free software that restrict users's freedoms to modify that software itself. Without the ability to upgrade, the freedom to make modifications is useless.It is this form of TiVo-ization the FSF says it opposes. Got a problem with that?