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From: gwyn@smoke.brl.mil (Doug Gwyn)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.internals
Subject: Re: Source for Unix???
Message-ID: <15127@smoke.brl.mil>
Date: 7 Feb 91 20:06:07 GMT
References: <7496@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Distribution: comp.unix.wizards
Organization: U.S. Army Ballistic Research Laboratory, APG, MD.
Lines: 18

In article <7496@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU> theseus@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (David E Reed) writes:
>Where can one find UNIX source code? I am aware that
>in the past, UNIX was freely distributed to colleges and universities.
>But then AT&T copyrighted it and I have asked several people around here
>and no one knows where to find the source.  ...

Sheesh.  Johns Hopkins holds some UNIX source licenses, through 7th
Edition UNIX at least, and if you were to talk to somebody COMPETENT
there you should be able to find the distribution magtapes etc.
If you agree to abide by JHU's licensing constraints, perhaps they
will even let you look at the code.

UNIX was never "freely" distributed; licensing was always required.
The fee was fairly low in the "good old days", but never free.
Copyright has nothing to do with it.  UNIX source code is protected
primarily under "trade secret" provisions, and the reason for
licensing was to have legal recourse to keep recipients from losing
control over who got access to the code.