Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!auspex!guy
From: guy@auspex.auspex.com (Guy Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Source for Unix???
Message-ID: <5808@auspex.auspex.com>
Date: 7 Feb 91 21:38:27 GMT
References: <7496@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Distribution: comp.unix.wizards
Organization: Auspex Systems, Santa Clara
Lines: 29

>I have seen a few postings here in comp.unix.wizards about reading the source.
> I have a question?  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

Umm, well, that's not *quite* what happened.

UNIX was sold to educational sites, in source form, for a low cost;
however, even then, it was considered trade secret code by AT&T, so
those sites weren't supposed to freely distribute UNIX source to *other*
sites unless those other sites also had AT&T source licenses.

I don't know that AT&T copyrighting the UNIX source affected that; AT&T
was also increasing the cost of educational source licenses over time,
but that was happening even before they copyrighted the source.  I
*think* educational source licenses may still be available at relatively
low cost, although the cost is higher than it was.

>and I have asked several people around here and no one knows where to
>find the source.

I'd be *extremely* surprised if JHU didn't have at least one UNIX source
license.  Try asking around a little more widely...

>I am really interested in reading it,

...and also be aware that, over time, UNIX has gotten bigger, so there's
more source to read; you may want to select which bits you actually want
to read.