[clug] tomtom one

[Kim Holburn]

I got a Tomtom One recently and it is a pretty useful gadget.  The  
device itself is pretty stable and easy to use but the software that  
comes with it to communicate with your PC is pretty dreadful.  I just  
assumed it was written for windows because it is buggy and crashes a  
lot.  They only seem to produce a Windows and Mac version of the  
software.  Then reading about the device I find it is linux based  
<http://www.tomtom.com/gpl>.  Although it seems like it is not simple  
to recreate the compile environment.

In general I was surprised because the tomtom seems an incredibly  
closed environment - difficult to do anything other than what they  
want you to do.  In some ways this is good, like when I am driving in  
difficult environments, it is nice to have a device that is stable  
and easy to use and quick to adjust.  On the other hand there's  
always a limit to the flexibility and easy of use.

I don't understand how they could mix GPL, LGPL and proprietary  
software essentially on one embedded device.

<http://www.opentom.org/Main_Page>
>  Software
> The TomTom Software, as published by TomTom B.V.
>
>     * The Tomtom navigation software is closed source. But it  
> required some software under GPL to be installed, and their sources  
> have been published at http://www.tomtom.com/page.php?Page=gpl

I expect this sort of thing would get much more difficult with GPL3.

--
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
Ph: +39 06 855 4294  M: +39 3494957443
mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request

Democracy imposed from without is the severest form of tyranny.
                           -- Lloyd Biggle, Jr. Analog, Apr 1961