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From: neff@hpvcla.HP.COM (Dave Neff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: MIMIX "Look and Feel"
Message-ID: <4740006@hpvcla.HP.COM>
Date: Wed, 14-Jan-87 16:04:39 EST
Article-I.D.: hpvcla.4740006
Posted: Wed Jan 14 16:04:39 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Jan-87 22:42:33 EST
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Vancouver, WA
Lines: 27

This posting is half in jest and half serious (I would be interested
in responses).  I start with such a warning since I don't know how
to enter half a smiley face.

Doesn't MIMIX have the "look and feel" of AT&T System 7? Is there
a potential copyright problem?  Possible answers might be:

1) MIMIX has the blessing of AT&T (doubtful but possible).

2) AT&T has a history of not pressing copyright claims on other
re-implimentations of UNIX.

3) AT&T has a more enlightened attitude than some other software
company whose name also begins with A? 

4) OR ....?

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