Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!hplabs!hpda!hp-sde!hpfcdc!rml
From: rml@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Bob Lenk)
Newsgroups: comp.std.misc
Subject: Re: Open Software Foundation...
Message-ID: <11860001@hpfcdc.HP.COM>
Date: 9 Jun 88 23:25:32 GMT
References: <782@dlhpedg.co.uk>
Organization: HP Ft. Collins, Co.
Lines: 18

> If this is a quote from an AT&T source it is bizarre because DEC Ultrix
> is based on AT&T licensed Unix code (principally BSD 4.x) and therefore
> could not be used for an OSF Unix clone product since the whole point is
> to write a suitable Unix clone from scratch that has not one line of
> AT&T code and therefore requires no AT&T licensing.  The IBM product is
> a clone, and fills the bill, at least as an OSF starting point.

AIX, both current versions and the one to be used as a base for OSF
implementations, uses at least enough AT&T code to be subject to AT&T
licensing.  Contrary to various postings, "the whole point" of OSF is
not to avoid AT&T licensing.  There are many things to consider in
choosing an implementation base.  Remember that AT&T and Sun also have
announced plans to re-implement the UNIX(r) operating system.

		Bob Lenk
		{ihnp4, hplabs}!hpfcla!rml
		rml%hpfcla@hplabs.hp.com

UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T in the U.S. and other countries.