Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!UCONNVM.BITNET!SEWALL From: SEWALL@UCONNVM.BITNET (Murph Sewall) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Re: System 5.0.2 Message-ID: <8910210125.aa22299@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> Date: 21 Oct 89 06:07:26 GMT References: Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: School of Business - U. of Connecticut Lines: 29 On Thu, 19 Oct 89 15:14:50 CDT you said: > What's keeping someone from putting 5.0.2 on comp.binaries or >Apple2.L? Is it the size? If not, then why not put it up there. >Some people (like me) don't have access to a dealer... The size IS a problem, but copyright is a bigger one. Apple wants to make the system software as readily available to THEIR customers (owners of genuine Apple IIgs's :-) However, if system software is archived in a public access library with Apple's consent, then it's subject to adoption by 'Orange', 'Pineapple' and assorted other vendors who would benefit from Apple's investment without making any effort themselves. Your local user group (even if annual dues are only a dollar) is legally private, and you have to subscribe (and pay a commercial fee for) Genie and Compu$erve (which by the way consider ANYTHING regardless of origin which you download from them 'copyright' meaning you are supposed to pass copyies of even freeware downloaded from a service to nonsubscribers of that service -- I know how can you distinguish a copy of BLU from APPLE2-L from one from Genie, but the legalese makes it possible for user groups and commercial services to license system software and offer it to their members or subscribers without compromising Apple's legal rights). APPLE2-L and the 'ftp' libraries are open to all (I think it's possible to retrieve files from a compu$erve account or MCImail as well as from any Internet or BITNET site and *some* UUCP hosts); consequently, we cannot offer system software now or in the foreseeable future. /s Murph co-owner (with Chris Chung ) of APPLE2-L