Xref: utzoo comp.sources.bugs:757 comp.unix.questions:5608
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!ima!bbn!bbn.com!rsalz
From: rsalz@bbn.com (Rich Salz)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.bugs,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: System V yacc / perl problem
Summary: Yacc library routine might be redistributable
Keywords: yacc perl sysv
Message-ID: <422@fig.bbn.com>
Date: 18 Feb 88 03:59:18 GMT
References: <1675@van-bc.UUCP> <3328@cbmvax.UUCP> <5096@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Followup-To: junk
Organization: BBN Laboratories, Cambridge MA
Lines: 35


    >>It would be helpful if Larry could include the yacc output.
    >Actually, we discussed this with larry when perl was first being
    >developed. The problem is that the output of yacc contains AT&T
    >propriatary code (inserted by the yacc program), and so yacc
    >output can only be sent to parties with a source license.

Actually, this *MIGHT* not be the case.  About 12 to 24 months ago,
ATT put out an announcement saying that the stuff in /lib and /usr/lib
could be used in vendor code without any licensing restrictions.
They obviously meant to avoid the braindamage of other vendors (usually
in the PC world) that required you to license the "run-time" system
before you could resell your product.  That is, if I wrote a program I
wanted to sell, I did not need to do anything just becuase the executable
used stuff in /lib/libc.a.

Now, as is standard with all licenses, they listed all the relevant files
affected by this change.  I am fairly sure that /usr/lib/yaccpar and yacc
output were explicitly called out as being in the category I described
above.  HOWEVER, I don't remember all the details.

I would suggest that someone with a vested interest in this call AT&T
(1-800-828-UNIX can probably get you started) and find out the full
details.  (I don't really care because all yacc's I have access to
aren't broken. :-)

Note, however, that even if (as I suspect) it's perfectly okay to ship
y.tab.c and y.tab.h around to any site, such postings won't appear
in comp.sources.unix because the bandwidth consumed far outweighs
the sites with nonexistant or bad yacc's.

Follow-ups are probably not necessary, unless researched.
	/r$
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