Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!cmcl2!husc6!hao!boulder!cu-den!udenva!isis!csm9a!japplega
From: japplega@csm9a.UUCP (Joe Applegate)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: PLANETS.COM
Summary: PLANETS.COM and copywrite notices
Message-ID: <628@csm9a.UUCP>
Date: 21 Feb 88 04:02:29 GMT
References: <4435@watdcsu.waterloo.edu>
Distribution: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Organization: Colorado School of Mines
Lines: 44

In article <4435@watdcsu.waterloo.edu>, tknight@watdcsu.waterloo.edu (T.Knight - Computing Services) writes:
> 
>    A few days ago someone was asking for source to PLANETS.COM that was
> posted recently. I just ran PLANETS through CHK4BOMB and found a
> "Copyright 1985 Borland Inc." message in it. When you invoke PLANETS
> it displays the message "PLANETS V3.0 is a Public Domain Program". Looks
> like someone's doing a little piracy.
>  
>   Perhaps one of our virus experts could check it out to see if whoever
> removed the copyright message added a few undocumented features, like disk
> formats, etc. Anyway its definitely pirated software that's been altered
> so use at your own risk, both physical and moral !!.
>  
> Fred Widall
> DP70@WATDCS.NETNORTH
>  

More obviously Mr. Widall doesn't know what he's talking about and probably
shouldn't be allowed to use CHK4BOMB and possibly computers in general!
PLANETS.COM is a compiled Turbo Pascal program and though Borland does own
a copyright on the libraries it was compiled with they have no right to 
the program.  PLANET.COM is definately not a trojan or pirate simply because
someone who knows NOTHING about PC software misinterprets information he
probably isn't qualified to look at anyway.  This really burns me... it's
how most trojan / virus rumors start anyway... in 5 years of telecomputing
and PC support I have NEVER found a bonified trojan!!!  Only users who don't
know what their doing!

I have the source for PLANETS.COM but I doubt if such a user would know what
to do with it!!!

I suggest that since most programs contain a copyright for the libraries of the
compilers they were written in that Mr. Widall sell his computer since to him
all programs must be altered trojans (except for those few written in 
assembler).

    Joe Applegate - Colorado School of Mines Computing Center
            {seismo, hplabs}!hao!isis!csm9a!japplega
                              or
 SYSOP @ M.O.M. AI BBS - (303) 273-3989 - 300/1200/2400 8-N-1 24 hrs.

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