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From: jnh@ecemwl.ncsu.edu (Joseph N. Hall)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: CloseView
Message-ID: <4238@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>
Date: 19 Oct 89 14:49:32 GMT
References: <15737@duke.cs.duke.edu> <8400183@m.cs.uiuc.edu> <8057@microsoft.UUCP> <23175@cup.portal.com>
Sender: news@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: jnh@ecemwl.UUCP (Joseph N. Hall)
Organization: North Carolina State University
Lines: 28

In article <23175@cup.portal.com> ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith) writes:
>Most software license agreements say that you won't disassemble the
>code or reverse engineer the product.
>
I have to admit that I've never taken this provision of software licenses
very seriously.  It's ridiculous from the start since it is ordinarily somewhat
more difficult to replicate even a complicated, non-intuitive algorithm by
disassembling than by specification and original coding.  It's offensive to
me as a skilled user, too, since it implies that my only option is to use
the program "as is," and that I'm not allowed to correct even minor bugs
by patching (unless I can figure out where they are by intuition ...).
Naturally most companies (Symantec is a notable exception) don't provide
any recourse if the program doesn't work as stated in the documentation.

Although I don't support the full range of positions held by the FSF, this
is certainly one of the kinds of things that make me want to say "Keep your
lawyers off my computer."

>ps: of course, I bought MacNosy only to look at my own code. Doesn't
>everybody? :-)

And I've never used TMON to un-copy-protect a program so I could install
it on my hard disk ... :-)

v   v sssss|| joseph hall                      || 4116 Brewster Drive
 v v s   s || jnh@ecemwl.ncsu.edu (Internet)   || Raleigh, NC  27606
  v   sss  || SP Software/CAD Tool Developer, Mac Hacker and Keyboardist
-----------|| Disclaimer: NCSU may not share my views, but is welcome to.