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Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!unirot!ron
From: ron@unirot.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Look and feel problem?
Message-ID: <341@unirot.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 14-Feb-87 13:09:39 EST
Article-I.D.: unirot.341
Posted: Sat Feb 14 13:09:39 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Feb-87 04:38:41 EST
References: <17300@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <242@mcdsun.UUCP>
Organization: Public Access Unix, Piscataway, NJ
Lines: 19
Keywords: minix

In article <242@mcdsun.UUCP>, fnf@mcdsun.UUCP (Fred Fish) writes:

> On a related note, it is my understanding that Dennis Ritchie holds a
> patent on the suid bit implementation, and patents are currently
> far more enforcable than vague "look and feel" copyrights.  Does minix have
> a suid bit?
> 
> -Fred

AT&T decided to let everyone use the set-UID bit without bothering
them back around 1981.  Mostly it is patented because there was a
big drive to increase the number of patents that Bell Labs employees
held for statistical reasons.

By the way, the Set UID patent is fairly interesting reading.  I found
a copy in the back of the red Unix security book that I was looking
through.

-Ron