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From: gillies@p.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Why do Macs have ROMs?
Message-ID: <76000247@p.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 1 Jul 88 17:13:00 GMT
References: <453@etive.ed.ac.uk>
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Nf-ID: #R:etive.ed.ac.uk:453:p.cs.uiuc.edu:76000247:000:968
Nf-From: p.cs.uiuc.edu!gillies    Jul  1 12:13:00 1988


I would guess that only very proprietary software goes into the ROM.
I think it has something to do with suing people:

(a) If Macs didn't have ROM, a hardware manufacturer could easily
    build macintosh hardware-compatible machines and sell them legally.
    They could implement it differently to avoid copyright rules

    Customers could buy the machines, steal the latest (patched)
    version of the toolbox from friends, and run macintosh software.
    Apple would have to discover & sue these people individually.

(b) However, since Macs have ROMs, it is a crime to copy this part
    of the machine in a Mac "clone".  It is much easier for Apple's
    lawyers to sue the computer MANUFACTURER for breach of ROM
    copyright, than to sue the CUSTOMER for the same crime.

Don Gillies, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Illinois
1304 W. Springfield, Urbana, Ill 61801      
ARPA: gillies@cs.uiuc.edu   UUCP: {uunet,ihnp4,harvard}!uiucdcs!gillies