Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbatt!gatech!ut-sally!std-unix From: std-unix@ut-sally.UUCP Newsgroups: mod.std.unix Subject: Re: 1003.2 Command Groups (Really UUCP protocol) Message-ID: <7062@ut-sally.UUCP> Date: Tue, 3-Feb-87 17:42:28 EST Article-I.D.: ut-sally.7062 Posted: Tue Feb 3 17:42:28 1987 Date-Received: Thu, 5-Feb-87 04:33:28 EST References: <6710@ut-sally.UUCP> <6783@ut-sally.UUCP> <6818@ut-sally.UUCP> <7002@ut-sally.UUCP> <7037@ut-sally.UUCP> Sender: std-unix@ut-sally.UUCP Reply-To: "Arnold, D., Robbins, {EUCC}", Organization: Math & Computer Science, Emory University, Atlanta Lines: 36 Approved: jsq@sally.utexas.edu In article <7037@ut-sally.UUCP> rick@seismo.css.gov (Rick Adams) writes: >Lack of documention of the uucp protocols should not be enough to >keep it out of the standard. > >I could document all of the necessary uucp protocols, file formats, etc >WITHOUT violating ATT trade secrets or looking at the source. >(The debugging output, a line monitor and cating the files in the spool >directory provide all of the information necessary) > >Documenting the 't' and 'f' protocols is trivial because it's not att >code. > >However, documenting the 'g' protocol would be a royal bitch without looking >at the source code. Maybe I'm missing something here. What is wrong with the following scenario: 1) Rick Adams (or someone else) documents all the protocols, even if he has to look at the source. 2) He publishes said protocol definitions, without publishing a single line of source. 3) Rick does NOT write any new code to implement the protocols. 4) I (or someone else) take Rick's publication and using just that document, write brand new code to implement the protocol. In other words, what is wrong with person A reading the code and publishing just the protocol, person B using JUST the protocol to write code, and person A not writing any code? After all, it seems everyone agrees that the protocols themselves are not copyrighted by AT&T, just the code that implements them. -- Arnold Robbins CSNET: arnold@emory BITNET: arnold@emoryu1 ARPA: arnold%emory.csnet@csnet-relay.arpa UUCP: { akgua, decvax, gatech, sb1, sb6, sunatl }!emory!arnold Volume-Number: Volume 9, Number 45