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From: diamant@hpfclp.HP.COM (John Diamant)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: MIMIX "Look and Feel"
Message-ID: <6640003@hpfclp.HP.COM>
Date: Sun, 18-Jan-87 16:27:54 EST
Article-I.D.: hpfclp.6640003
Posted: Sun Jan 18 16:27:54 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 21-Jan-87 00:22:27 EST
References: <4740006@hpvcla.HP.COM>
Organization: HP, Fort Collins
Lines: 30

> Doesn't MIMIX have the "look and feel" of AT&T System 7? Is there
> a potential copyright problem?

That's AT&T version 7, not System 7 (it came for the research lab, not the
USG, or whatever they call themselves today).

Doesn't a Compaq have a "look and feel" of an IBM PC?
> 
> Just throwing this out for consideration.  Doesn't an operating
> system have a "look and feel" to the programmer and the user that
> is analogous to a "look and feel" of a user interface?  Last I heard
> Lotus had won a suit against a 123 clonemaker on these grounds
> (the clone was a total re-write but had a nearly indistinguishable
> user interface).  Like I said, I'm only half serious and truly hope
> this is not a potential problem with MIMIX or other similar software.
> 
> Dave Neff
> hpfcla!hpvcla!neff

For some reason, under certain circumstances, reverse engineering is considered
acceptable (hardware clones of machines), and possibly UNIX clones.  In other
cases, it is not, such as pull down menus that Apple managed to patent (or
otherwise protect -- I don't know the details).  I don't really understand
the criterion used to determine whether it is O.K. or not.


John Diamant
Systems Software Operation	UUCP:  {hplabs,hpfcla}!hpfclp!diamant
Hewlett Packard Co.		ARPA/CSNET: diamant%hpfclp@hplabs.HP.COM
Fort Collins, CO