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From: manes@vger.nsu.edu ((Mark D. Manes), Norfolk State University)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Subject: Re:  Information on Amiga Technical Reference Seri
Message-ID: <1092.285f639a@vger.nsu.edu>
Date: 19 Jun 91 18:00:58 GMT
References: <3036@public.BTR.COM> <22380@cbmvax.commodore.com> <3068@public.BTR.COM> <22472@cbmvax.commodore.com> <3098@public.BTR.COM>
Lines: 85

In article <3098@public.BTR.COM>, valentin@public.BTR.COM (Valentin Pepelea) writes:
> In article <22472@cbmvax.commodore.com> andy@cbmvax.commodore.com (Andy
> Finkel) writes:
>>
>> [Andy's comments deleted...]
> 
> Our discussion has been limited to whether publishing the source code is a
> good idea. So far we have been given only the following reasons against it:
> 
> 1. The copyright laws do not adequately protect you.
> 2. Imbeciles might do imbecile things.
> 
> Any other bright arguments?

Yes.

1.  Protectin of Commodore's proprietary work.  They paid to have the
    Amiga operating system developed why should they 'give it away'?
2.  You know as well as I do, that direct copying of the Amiga operating
    system would probably not be done, BUT, the ideas and the solutions
    in the code could/would be taken.  It would be very difficult to prove
    that an individual 'stole' something.  Do we really need to get
    Commodore's lawyers more work? 
3.  Releasing the source code does nothing to improve Commodore's 
    situation.  It would result in the locking of operating system down 
    as the developers _will_ make use of a particular design of a function
    instead of using a 'black-box' approach.
4.  Commodore is not in the business of 'teaching' programmers how to
    program.  Commodore has no social responsibility for education.
5.  If the source code is released as 'documentation' what would
    happen to the current documentation efforts?  I think it much 
    wiser to improve the documentation than to just say "ohh.. look
    at the source code".
6.  It is a bad idea.
 
Do you publish the source code to everything you write?  Would you really
spend two years of your life working on something for commercial use and
then 'freely' give away the source?  I hope so, because that is what you
are asking Commodore to do.

Actually you are asking Commodore to deliver for $100 seven years of
work to your doorstep so you can 'learn'.   That certainly would be
a deal, but I suspect that would really put an end to the Amiga.  What
good would this new-found education be if the Amiga (as we know it) 
does not exist?   

Using your arguments it makes sense for the government to give us
for $100 a complete and working nuclear weapon so that we can learn. ;-)
What?  Me worry... :-)

> 
> In my opinion, the only reason that a company might have to not publish source
> code is that it does not want to give other people the opportunity to learn
> for studying the Amiga operating system. I'm not talking copying, since no
> individual would be stupid to plagiarize, but rather to learn from other
> people's mistakes and prevent any reoccurences.
> 
> Valentin
> -- 
> "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

On this virtual memory thing... you said in a earlier message that 
Commodore did not agree with your signature either.  Is that really a 
surprise?  I would _like_ virtual memory on the Amiga as long as:
   
   1>  I could turn it OFF!
   2>  It does not destroy the performance of the machine
   3>  If it doesn't break all the software

In my opinion, memory is cheap.  If I need more, I'll buy more.  Let the
Amiga 500 owners who want to process 24 bit graphic files in 512k of 
memory burn in hell. :-) :-)   


 -mark=
     
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 | \/     |   Mark D. Manes   "The Most lopsided deal since ..."
 | /\  \/ |   manes@vger.nsu.edu                                        
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