Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!rutgers!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!infotel!pollux!ndmce!tp From: tp@ndmce.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.mail.uucp,comp.sources.d Subject: Re: boy am I getting flamed... Message-ID: <1183@ndmce.uucp> Date: Mon, 23-Mar-87 16:47:31 EST Article-I.D.: ndmce.1183 Posted: Mon Mar 23 16:47:31 1987 Date-Received: Wed, 25-Mar-87 04:05:52 EST References: <1019@osiris.UUCP> Reply-To: tp@ndmce.UUCP (Terry Poot) Organization: Nathan D. Maier Consulting Engineers, Dallas Lines: 39 Xref: utgpu comp.mail.uucp:345 comp.sources.d:484 In article <1019@osiris.UUCP> mjranum@osiris.UUCP (Marcus Ranum) writes: > It was pointed out to me that the licensing agreement covers the >entire distribution as trade secrets, but I don't see how that works when >public domain source is included with proprietary source (for example Mike >Muus' "ping" program). The point is, the distribution can be licensed, even if the source code in it is not licensed, copyrighted, or otherwise restricted. A license is basically a contract that says "We'll give you X under these conditions". It doesn't matter what the conditions are, if you sign the contract (license), you are bound by the terms, even if the things they won't let you do are otherwise perfectly legal. It sounds screwey, but it really works this way. I tried to get the public domain version of Ingress from Berkeley, mostly just because I wanted to look at it. There used to be an office at Berkeley that distributed this to anyone who wanted it, as it is completely public domain with no licensed source. However, the office that distributed it is closed now. The only way Berkeley gives it out is as part of BSD. The entire BSD distribution is licensed, even the public domain stuff. Berkeley won't send you anything unless you go through all the proper procedures to get a BSD tape, (including the $48,000 (or whatever) source license from AT&T). You can't get it from a BSD customer, as the entire distribution is licensed. They won't write a letter allowing a customer to copy it, even though it is PD (as far as I can tell, this last position is because they are basically unfriendly, the rest I can understand). However, anyone who got Ingress from the office that used to distribute it PD, still can distribute it freely. (In case anyone really wants to know, in the case of Ingress, one such source is Usenix.) BTW, my claim that Ingress is completely public domain is a result of several phone conversations with people at Berkeley whose names I have since forgotten, but were involved with the distribution of Ingress and/or BSD. If you don't believe it, tell Berkeley, not me. -- Terry Poot, Nathan D. Maier Consulting Engineers, (214)739-4741 8800 N. Central Expressway, Suite 300, Dallas, Tx 75231, USA UUCP: { seismo | cbosgd | ihnp4 | sun!convex | allegra!convex }!ndmce!tp ARPA: ndmce!tp@seismo.css.gov CSNET: ndmce!tp@smu