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From: JMS@ARIZMIS.BITNET.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: posting security patch
Message-ID: <8706080744.AA11345@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Mon, 8-Jun-87 02:32:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8706080744.AA11345
Posted: Mon Jun  8 02:32:00 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Jun-87 04:49:08 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
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AWALKER asks "why not post the patch?"

The reason is that software maintenance is something you pay
for.  There are lots of folks out there that don't pay for
software maintenance, and thus are not "entitled" to
any patch by Digital.  The patch is copyright Digital Equipment
Corporation, and anyone that distributes it is (a) violating
copyright laws and more likely (b) putting their own software
maintenance contract at risk.  If Digital catches you putting
something like that out, they have a variety of recourses
available to them, starting with sending nasty letters to your
local rep, through revoking your software licenses (you
didn't realize that they can do that if you violate the
Terms/Conditions you implicitly signed when you bought the
license? Read the fine print again...), and up to the lawsuit level.

I think that Digital has started to send out the patch to
maintenance customers anyway (ie, you don't have to call to get
it).  If you don't get the patch in the next week, remember
that your local Digital office is empowered to authorize you
to get it from some other customer.  I believe that the local
office also has enough latitude to give you such a patch
even if you're not on maintenance (although this may be a
local *informal* decision).

We have two VMS maintenance contracts and got the patch
(unsolicited) for one of them last week.

+-------------------------------+
| Joel M Snyder                 |            BITNET: jms@arizmis.BITNET
| Univ of Arizona Dep't of MIS  |          Internet: (temp. out of order)
| Tucson, Arizona 85721         |   Pseudo-PhoneNET: (602) 621-2748
+-------------------------------+              ICBM: 32 13 N / 110 58 W
(I have gotten into trouble too many times to put any faith in disclaimers)
"There's nothing here that an overdose of Seconal won't cure."