Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!mattd
From: mattd@Apple.COM (Matt Deatherage)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2
Subject: Re: Would you believe?
Message-ID: <54484@apple.Apple.COM>
Date: 30 Jun 91 17:09:59 GMT
References: <1991Jun16.120626.15116@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu> <54085@apple.Apple.COM> <43524@cup.portal.com>
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Lines: 51

In article <43524@cup.portal.com> -Rich-@cup.portal.com (Richard Sherman Payne) writes:
>
>>>if you have a gs ram ultra.... let me know if you are interested...
>>>I'm trying to think of uses for the extra rom space.
>>>
>>All ROM space is reserved for Apple and may not be used by third-party
>>developers for any reason.
>
>Matt, Apple can copyright their ROMS, but they do not own the ROM
>*space*. I do not think it possible that Apple has plans for *all* 8MB
>of ROM space, nor have I ever heard of any computer of any kind with
>that much ROM. ROM's cost money, and board space, and it would take a
>hell of a lot of code and *large* graphics to fill 8 MB.
>
>Now Apple can say that they will not support any such use, and that things
>done in this space may break in the future. But I cannot see how they have
>any say over others using it. Nor can I think of any legal reasons why I
>should not put my own code there (not that I have any such plans). Correct
>me if I you know different. 
>
Hoo boy.  As I was hitting the key to post this, I thought, "Wait, won't
some people get confused about the ROM Disk space?"  However, I foolishly
decided everyone understood what Apple normally means by "reserved."  My
mistake, sorry.

"Reserved" means "You can't use it except in the way Apple says or we reserve
the right to make your product fail in spectacular ways."

The ROM disk protocol is documented and works.  What "reserved" means in this
case is that you can't stick things in ROM that _aren't_ a ROM disk.  Some
people have wanted to stick their own tools, drivers, etc. in expansion ROM
space and this is a no-no.  If we ever expand the ROM (maybe through an
upgrade of some kind), the future system software could really ruin your day.

As far as "copyright" goes, no one even mentioned the word before the above
post.  We can't "copyright" expansion ROM space but we can make you wish you'd
never thought of using it in a product.  We can't "copyright" the RAM space
either, but that doesn't mean we don't mark areas of RAM as "reserved". 

You can, according to U.S. Law, write a 65816 program that stores the value
$EA in every possible location in RAM, including eventually over the program
itself.  There's no law against it, but it breaks Apple's rules.  Like using
expansion ROM space for other than ROM disks, this isn't necessarily a very
bright idea.
-- 
============================================================================
Matt Deatherage, Developer Technical  | The opinions expressed herein are
Support, Apple Computer, Inc.         | not those of Apple Computer, and
Personal mail only, please.  Thanks.  | shame on you for thinking otherwise.
^^^^^^^^ Technical questions are not personal. Please post them instead.
============================================================================