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From: jeff@ndcheg.cheg.nd.edu (Jeffrey C. Kantor)
Newsgroups: sci.math,comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc,comp.os.msdos.apps,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: MATLAB wanted
Message-ID: <442@news.nd.edu>
Date: 23 Sep 90 20:30:19 GMT
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Organization: University of Notre Dame
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References:<11230@spool.cs.wisc.edu> <38@pubit.sublink.ORG> <1990Sep21.140145.16442@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>

In article <1990Sep21.140145.16442@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> 
scott@blueeyes.kines.uiuc.edu (scott) writes:
> In article <38@pubit.sublink.ORG> root@pubit.sublink.ORG (Arrigo 
Benedetti) writes:
> >ttl@aura.cs.wisc.edu (Tony Laundrie) writes:
> >
> >>I'm looking for a version of MATLAB that runs on an IBM AT.  If it's 
not
> >>public domain, is there a similar package available via anonymous ftp?
> >>Thanks.
> >
> >MATLAB is NOT a public domain program.
> 
> Well, yes and no. There *IS* a public domain version of MATLAB. It was 
installed
> on a campus UNIX system for our class to use, and some searching turned 
up an 
> identical version for the IBM, also public domain. I have also seen 
later,
> more capable versions of MATLAB which are 100% commercial, but the PD 
version
> DOES exist.
> 

MATLAB IS NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN.

There are versions of a Fortran matlab floating around.  These are based
on a code written in the late 70's - early 80's by Cleve Moler.  He 
circulated these to his friends at other Universities for teaching purposes.  
However, Cleve was careful to never declare the code as 'public domain'.  He
has tried to retain some control over its distribution, but that appears to 
be a hard thing to do.

Some of the PC and Mac codes distributed by outlets for public domain
software are apparently based on Moler's fortran sources.  Don't you
think it is sort of contemptable for someone to put together codes and
distribute them without the permission and against the wishes of the
author of the key sources?

Jeff Kantor
Notre Dame