Xref: utzoo gnu.emacs.help:1622 comp.emacs:10444
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unreplyable!garbage
From: rms@GNU.AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman)
Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help,comp.emacs
Subject: compress
Message-ID: <9103311918.AA27156@mole.gnu.ai.mit.edu>
Date: 31 Mar 91 19:18:17 GMT
Sender: daemon@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu
Followup-To: gnu.emacs.help
Distribution: world
Organization: Gatewayed from the GNU Project mailing list help-gnu-emacs@prep.ai.mit.edu
Lines: 33


    >It's not a good idea for people to introduce further use of compress,
    >because it's patented, and Unisys wants us to pay for the privilege.

    HUH?  Last I heard, they didn't care about software implementations -- they
    were concerned with hardware ones.

I became concerned about use of compress when Unisys told the POSIX
committee that the implementors of POSIX systems (of which the GNU
project might be one) would have to pay royalties for use of LZW.

There was a time when (it seemed) Unisys planned to attack only
hardware implementations, but that was some years ago.  James Woods
told me that even at that time, their lawyer said that demanding
royalties from individual end users of compress would be an
"enforcement problem".  In other words, only practical difficulties
would stop Unisys from doing just that!

Luckily, compress has been removed from the POSIX spec.  However, as
long as users keep using compress, they will give other users a reason
to use it, which means the community won't be free of danger from it.
The FSF will switch over to one of Bernstein's programs soon unless a
better alternative matures sooner.

Even if/when it existed, the intention to leave software
implementations alone was just a policy--something they were able to
change at any time, and did.  This shows the danger of relying on the
forebearance of a corporation: it will last only as long as it is
expedient.  The only way we can be safe is not to give them the power
to interfere with our work.