It's two years-old now, and I'm going to beg forgiveness on the grounds that I still use a VCR (yes, a VCR) to "time warp" shows, but it's worth pointing out that TiVO and DVR users seem to be giving away their watching habits -- with "second-by-second" precision -- for nothing. You're paying for companies to sell your personal data. Smooth. That's Web 2.0, folks.

CBS Signs On to TiVo's DVR Ratings - 2008-01-31 07:14:00 - Multichannel News:

CBS will subscribe to the TiVo StopWatch service, which provides a "second-by-second measurement" of how DVR owners watch live and recorded programs and commercials. The DVR maker inked a similar pact with NBC Universal in November, although in addition to the research NBCU also has the option to sell interactive TV ads on TiVos.


And, it appears, TiVo's using Linux in the box that allows you to pay them to sell your personal data:

In 2006, Free Software Foundation (FSF) decided to combat TiVo's technical system of blocking users from running modified software. This behavior, which FSF dubs 'tivoization', was tackled by creating a new version of the GNU General Public License (GPL v3) prohibiting this activity.[25] The operating system kernel included in the TiVo is distributed under the terms of the GPL.... This new license provision was acknowledged by TiVo in its April 2007 SEC filing: 'we may be unable to incorporate future enhancements to the GNU/Linux operating system into our software, which could adversely affect our business'.[26] Regardless, the Linux kernel has not been changed to use GPL v3.


I was generally opposed to v3, but this could help crack me. (no pun intended)

Linus, as usual, would rather play than worry about pay (not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that, though I tend to believe it should be covered under the good Samaritan law ;^D):

The kernel license covers the *kernel*. It does not cover boot loaders and hardware, and as far as I'm concerned, people who make their own hardware can design them any which way they want. Whether that means "booting only a specific kernel" or "sharks with lasers", I don't care.


So there are two major groups of folks that are giving out free labor for TiVo, Linux hackers and television watchers. Man, I love me some DTV.

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