Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mit-eddie!ll-xn!oberon!bbn!inmet!ishmael!inmet!ada-uts!callen
From: callen@ada-uts
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: SVC - Revision control for Minix
Message-ID: <70900002@ada-uts>
Date: 12 Feb 88 15:57:00 GMT
References: <1660@ea.ecn.purdue.edu>
Lines: 39
Nf-ID: #R:ea.ecn.purdue.edu:-166000:ada-uts:70900002:000:1855
Nf-From: ada-uts!callen    Feb 12 10:57:00 1988


>In article <285@ditmela.oz>, worsley@ditmela.oz (Andrew Worsley) writes:
>>   Why not post the orginal RCS or atleast port it to MINIX. It is
>>public domain, and I think available from the source achives.

>I think this is incorrect.  Although RCS is distributed with some
>versions of Berkeley Unix, it is not public domain.  There was some
>discussion about this in comp.sys.ibm.pc (I think) recently.

>MKS has just recently ported a *licensed* copy of Mr.  Tichy's source
>code to MS-DOS, and we don't want people thinking they can make copies
>of it for their friends.
>--
>     Gerry Wheeler                           Phone: (519)884-2251
>Mortice Kern Systems Inc.               UUCP: uunet!watmath!mks!wheels
>   35 King St. North                             BIX: join mks
>Waterloo, Ontario  N2J 2W9                  CompuServe: 73260,1043
>----------

Hmmm... I suggest that anyone porting RCS contact Walter Tichy (his
address is tichy@pudue) and get the straight poop. I just asked him about
doing a port for the Macintosh, and he said fine. My understanding the
way this works is:

 - RCS ports are encouraged. Contact Tichy before you start, though, so
   he knows what you are up to; he tries to coordinate ports to avoid
   duplication of effort. He also wants the source code for the port
   once it's done so that he may furnish it to others.

 - Anyone can have RCS for FREE; just ask Tichy first.

 - You may NOT sell a port of RCS. You MAY sell a product that INCLUDES
   RCS (like, say, a complete compilation/editing/debugging system), but
   you must furnish the RCS portion for free and supply source upon
   request.

In other words, he wants RCS to see the widest possible distribution but
does NOT want to lose control of his work, or see anyone else profit from
his work. So MKS CANNOT insist that their port not be copied.