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From: philip@Kermit.Stanford.EDU (Philip Machanick)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Generating standard postscript files from Mac?
Message-ID: <1990Jun6.185544.6206@Neon.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 6 Jun 90 18:55:44 GMT
References: <13286@wpi.wpi.edu> <24647.266bc9ca@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu>
Sender: news@Neon.Stanford.EDU (USENET News System)
Reply-To: philip@pescadero.stanford.edu
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
Lines: 37

In article <13286@wpi.wpi.edu>, tbutler@wpi.wpi.edu (Tim Butler) writes:
> One other note. I had posted a question about 2 months ago about the legality
> of using the postscript output from LaserPrep with the program macps.
> Apple's copyright license specifically prohibits using any part of apple
> system software on any non-apple or multi-user computer.
There are some real problems here, if someone starts trying to interpret
this stuff too literally. Any non-Apple network PostScript laser printer is
both a non-Apple AND a multi-user computer (even if it's usually used as a
printer, and is configured so only 1 user gets it at a time). Just as well
they have chosen to take a reasonable interpretation of what the LaserPrep
is:
>   After getting referred to several people at apple and finally to the 
> LaserPrep program director, I was told that it was ok to install the
LaserPrep
> output on a unix machine for the purpose of using macps. The woman 
> I spoke to was a little vague but in effect she said that Apple did not
> really consider the laserprep dictionary to be system software, that it was
> more appropriately considered output. Especially since it would only be
> combined with other postscript output and printed. But note that it does
> have their copyright on it.
> 	But she did say that it could not be modified or further distributed.
If this is true, then modified versions of the LaserPrep file (which are
widely distributed) which in effect comment out the bits which break outside
an Apple-only environment would be "illegal". You need such a munged LaserPrep
for example to print from a unix environment.
> 	If anyone else has wondered this and needs the name of the contact at
> apple so their sysop will install macps, e-mail to me and I
> will see if I still have the e-mail address or the phone number.
> 
> If anyone at appIe that I have talked to thinks I have interpreted this
> incorrectly, or misrepresented anything, feel free to correct me.
A reasonable position for Apple to take would be that they don't care what
you do with LaserPrep, as long as you are essentially using it to print
something produced originally on a Mac.

Philip Machanick
philip@pescadero.stanford.edu