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From: keithd@cadovax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: PD Boot Disks
Message-ID: <1541@cadovax.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 15-May-87 21:13:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: cadovax.1541
Posted: Fri May 15 21:13:53 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 17-May-87 01:46:16 EDT
References: <504@myrias.UUCP> <1868@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Reply-To: keithd@cadovax.UUCP (Keith Doyle)
Organization: Contel Business Systems, Torrance, CA
Lines: 48
Keywords: Draco compiler shareware includes

In article <1868@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP> carolyn@cbmvax.UUCP (Carolyn Scheppner CATS) writes:
>   I'd like to clarify a legal issue here.  Files from the WorkBench disk
>may not be distributed on shareware or freeware or in any publicly
>redistributable manner.  The contents of the Workbench disk is copyrighted.

This is still a bit fuzzy in my mind.  Does that mean you can do an
'install' on a newly formatted disk without obtaining a license or not?

What about the ram-handler, disk-validator, and port-handler and 
system-configuration?  If these aren't included, what is the impact 
of booting a disk without these on it? 

Aside from the extra $100 a year revenue, I was wondering
what the rationale is.

>The files may only be distributed by an individual or company with a
>Workbench License.  The licensee must be the sole distributor and must
>adhere to the rules of the license regarding copyright notices, disclaimers,
>etc.  This makes public redistribution impossible under the contract.

I'm trying to decide if what you are saying is that it is not legal to
produce a public domain disk that is self-bootable.   Slideshow disks
for example.  A friend of mine is a commercial artist that has a series
of his images and a PD slideshow on it configured to boot up and run the
slideshow.  Is it legal for him to distribute it PD?  If so, could he
decide to charge for it without incurring the $100? (starving artist
counts pennies).

If someone decided to contribute $100 to Fred Fish for the 
purpose of getting a workbench license, can we all then just give Fred 
bootable disks and have him distribute them all for us?

Or on the other hand, if all this is not legal, has anyone out there seen
any PD boot-up software that will address these problems?

>   Publicly redistributable software can be distributed with an installation
>script designed to strip a user's copy of Workbench and install itself
>onto that copy of Workbench.

That's different than a boot disk designed for the dumb dumb user who
wouldn't even know how to execute a script or run the CLI.  We're talking
first-time Amiga users here.

So what's the exact scoop?

Keith Doyle
#  {ucbvax,ihnp4,decvax}!trwrb!cadovax!keithd
#  cadovax!keithd@ucla-locus.arpa  Contel Business Systems 213-323-8170