Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!emory!gatech!bloom-beacon!LIGHTNING.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU!mouse
From: mouse@LIGHTNING.MCRCIM.MCGILL.EDU
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x
Subject: Re:  The real OpenWindows source announcement
Message-ID: <9011161043.AA13336@lightning.McRCIM.McGill.EDU>
Date: 16 Nov 90 10:43:18 GMT
Sender: daemon@athena.mit.edu (Mr Background)
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 41

> MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- November 13, 1990 -- Sun Microsystems
> announced today that the source code for its OpenWindows(TM)
> application development environment will now be available free of
> charge (cost of media only -- $995).

A thousand dollars for media?  What's it on, gold tape?

> OpenWindows source code will be available January 1, 1991 on magnetic
> tape for $995 (which includes the cost of media and documentation)

Ah, a doc set too.  That's more reasonable.

> through Sun distributors.  The source license is included at no cost.

I'm impressed.  (I'd be more impressed if they'd put it up for
anonymous ftp, but this is still a significant move.)

> There are no royalties for distributing applications developed with
> OpenWindows.  Hardware vendors will pay nominal royalties for systems
> they resell that run the OpenWindows environment.

Hmmm, this sounds ominous.  Could someone (someone from Sun, say) post
the text of the license?  I've been assuming that if the source is
supposedly available free, it is also freely redistributable.  If this
is not true, I'll have to revise my opinion, but I don't want to jump
to conclusions.  (Calling it "free" but charging money and restricting
redistribution would be an impressive piece of doublespeak.  I hope my
trepidation is baseless....)

> FOR MORE INFORMATION:
> Cathleen Beall Garfield  (415) 336-6536 
> Diana Murray OpenWindows Licensing Manager (415) 336-1567

Hey, Sun, email addresses would have been nice...I wouldn't've had to
bother the whole net with this then; I could've asked directly...or did
the person who transcribed this miss them?  (Seems doubtful.)

					der Mouse

			old: mcgill-vision!mouse
			new: mouse@larry.mcrcim.mcgill.edu