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From: mbs@turing.acs.virginia.edu (Michael B. Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re: Source to OS (Was Re:  Information on Amiga Technical Reference Seri)
Message-ID: <1991Jun18.195435.11335@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Date: 18 Jun 91 19:54:35 GMT
References: <3034@public.BTR.COM> <3094@public.BTR.COM>
Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
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In article <3094@public.BTR.COM> valentin@public.BTR.COM (Valentin Pepelea) writes:
>In article <1070.285770a5@vger.nsu.edu> manes@vger.nsu.edu ((Mark D. Manes),
>Norfolk State University) writes:
>>
>>Yes, but all of them that I know of require a large licensing fee and 
>>lengthy legal documentation to be signed.   I wonder why they bother 
>>since the 'copyright' protects them.
>
>First of all, only AT&T does such a thing to my knowledge. Secondly, *most*
>software packages come with an additional licensing agreement thrown into
>the box, even if no source code is included? Why? The software industry is
>still young, and therefore lawyers fell the need to protect their companies
>right with additional mubo jumbo. Either that, or they just need a way to
>justify their bills.
>
>Valentin

What? Most of the mainframe manufacturers require signing pretty hefty
legal-type agreements which (in at least Unisys' case) specifically PROHIBIT
any disassembly or decompilation of any object or source provided, except 
for the specific use of the licensee. 

For many things, you can't get sources anymore, and to get what you can, a
hefty premium is paid. It isn't just AT&T.

Most of those licenses come out of long term experience in the mainframe 
software marketplace, plus additional experience gained in the last ten years
in the micro/mini world. The software industry isn't really young. It is as
old as computers themselves.

Michael
>-- 
>"An operating system without virtual memory      Name:      Valentin Pepelea
> is an operating system without virtue."         Phone:     (408) 985-1700
>                                                 Usenet:    mips!btr!valentin
>                     - Ancient Inca Proverb      Internet:  valentin@btr.com