Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bbn!uwmcsd1!ig!agate!ucbvax!hplabs!hpda!hpsmtc1!swh
From: swh@hpsmtc1.HP.COM (Steve Harrold)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: MSC 5.0 Bugs, Microsoft ``support''
Message-ID: <11470022@hpsmtc1.HP.COM>
Date: 2 Feb 88 16:35:15 GMT
References: <248@pyuxf.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard, Cupertino
Lines: 28

Re: Copyrighting bug reports

The suggestion has been made to:

"Please tell the rest of us on the network about the problem.
At least we can work around these bugs if we know about them.
In your report, however, include a restrictive copyright notice
particularly restricting Microsoft from using the report for internal
use and bug-fixing.  These bug reports are of very high commercial value
to Microsoft.  It does not seem like a fair trade to report a bug to
them and have them turn around and profit by it without renumeration
to the person who spent time diagnosing the problem."

Come, now!  Isn't this a bit childish, like biting off your nose to spite
your face?

If you prohibit a vendor from using your bug report, you guarantee that 99%
of the product's user community will never get the benefit of having the
problem repaired.  While I would rather have the problem fixed for no
charge, I do prefer to have FIXED by some means, and hacking over the net
is not that means.  Besides, most users do not subscribe to this net.


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Steve Harrold			...hplabs!hpsmtc1!swh
				HPG200/13
				(408) 447-5580
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