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From: gnu@hoptoad.uucp (John Gilmore)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.d
Subject: Re: RCS: sources available?
Message-ID: <1905@hoptoad.uucp>
Date: Wed, 18-Mar-87 21:59:38 EST
Article-I.D.: hoptoad.1905
Posted: Wed Mar 18 21:59:38 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Mar-87 04:37:31 EST
References: <840@oakhill.UUCP> <392@stracs.cs.strath.ac.uk>
Organization: Nebula Consultants in San Francisco
Lines: 32

In article <392@stracs.cs.strath.ac.uk>, jim@cs.strath.ac.uk (Jim Reid) writes:
> RCS isn't generally available. The version distributed with 4.2 BSD uses
> a diff program derived from the AT&T version which can only be passed to
> those who have source licences from AT&T. In addition, the RCS code is
> "owned" by Walter Tichy so you would need his permission to use it even
> if you have an AT&T source licence. Presumably, he felt that the conditions
> attached to a Berkeley licence were good enough to protect his interests and
> those of AT&T.
> 
> Of course, things may be different for the 4.3 BSD release...

They are.  In the 4.3BSD distribution, there is a specific list of files
that are covered by the Berkeley license.  Some of the user contributed
software is *not* included in the list, thus is not covered by the
license.  (Sad to say, the list is only provided in hardcopy, so it's
tedious to determine what is and is not covered.)  RCS in the 4.3
distribution is *not* covered by the Berkeley license.  It is, however,
still derived from AT&T 'diff' and 'diff3', though there are efforts
afoot to fix that.

However, Walter Tichy's copyright notice still exists in the sources,
and still reserves all rights in the software.

If anyone is interested in removing the AT&T "diff" fragments from RCS,
possibly inserting an interface that calls on any diff (e.g. via
'popen') rather than embedding a PD diff into the program, Walter has
indicated a willingness to release an AT&T-clean RCS for wider
distribution.
-- 
John Gilmore  {sun,ptsfa,lll-crg,ihnp4}!hoptoad!gnu   gnu@ingres.berkeley.edu
Love your country but never trust its government.
		     -- from a hand-painted road sign in central Pennsylvania