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From: fisher@sc2a.unige.ch (Markus Fischer)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Legal to include Command.COM on disk of commercial s/ware
Message-ID: <124@sc2a.unige.ch>
Date: 6 Sep 89 12:33:21 GMT
References: <8908262022.AA00807@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu> <712@megatek.UUCP>
Organization: University of Geneva, Switzerland
Lines: 38

In article <712@megatek.UUCP>, hollen@eta.megatek.uucp (Dion Hollenbeck) writes:
>> 
>> 	PLACING A COPY OF COMMAND.COM ON S/WARE FOR SALE: LEGAL?
>> 
>> A friend of mine is developing a program for the IBM PC line but for it
>> to be functional it has to have an uncorrupted Command.COM on the same
>> disk.
> 
> I used to work for a software development company which required that
> one of the disks be bootable.  The solution we used was as follows,
> since it is strictly ILLEGAL to distribute any part of PC-DOS or MS-DOS
> without licensing.
> 
> The trick is to let the user apply HIS copy of DOS, but you must leave
> space for it on the disk.
> 
> [long and complicated procedure involving `debug' and patches to the
> directory]

If you only need `command.com', have the user or an installation batch
copy the user's copy on the disk...  And have him boot on his system 
diskette (if he boots on C:, you should use the `comspec' variable...)

If you need to transfer the system, simply create two files on you empty
disquette, with a total lenth equal to the two system files (take 60000kb),
copy your own files, and delete the two dummies.  Et voila !  `Sys' works !
(i.e., have the installation batch run a `sys' from the system disk[ette].)

You see, the only thing you need is to have the two first directory entries
empty, and enough contiguous space starting with the first cluster...

BTW: `format' has a /B switch, that installs these two dummy files (with
system and hidden attributes, but not read-only!).  After that you don't
even need to delete them!  You could check if that's legal for distribution?

Hope this helps

Markus Fischer, Geneva