Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!yale!husc6!cfa!ward
From: ward@cfa.harvard.EDU (Steve Ward)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: SIMTEL20 to ban ARC files
Summary: Rahul Dhesi is not "the enemy"
Message-ID: <1088@cfa.cfa.harvard.EDU>
Date: 15 Sep 88 17:24:47 GMT
References: <KPETERSEN.12429243022.BABYL@SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL> <6593@chinet.UUCP>
Organization: Harvard-Smithsonian Ctr. for Astrophysics
Lines: 41

...
The summary line is an overstatement.  I don't think anyone
characterizes Rahul in any negative way.  I don't know Rahul, but
feel compelled to point out that he is taking one of two very
reasonable and favorable (to the rest of us) positions that
greatly benefit the public.  The first position is to place code
in the public domain, period.  The second (Rahul's) position is
to copyright the code with explicit provisions for anyone is a
non-commercial, non-profit environment to freely use and redistribute
the source code and binaries.  Rahul further provides for the
commercialites and profitites by stating that "easy terms" are
available.  Furthermore, Rahul has placed the zoo archive file
format into the public domain along with the use of word zoo
as a descriptive term for file archiving using this format.

I say, give Rahul a strong round of applause.  Maybe you would
like him to place it all in the PD, but the way I see the public
get at least 2 out a possible 3 and should be appreciative of
this.

For the hardcore publicites, since the zoo archive format is
in the public domain, write your own version of zoo from scratch
and put it in the PD!  Voila!  you will have exactly what you
want.  Interestly, everyone seems to think that enhanced versions
will be rewritten versions anyway, so just rewrite from scratch
and you'll get your PD program.  You can even use the term
"zoo" in your manuals and docs and pollute the english language
with zoo-verbs and zoo-nouns and zoo-adverbs!

Now I also like the idea of a callboration for a PD standard
for archiving.  This is especially attractive now because a
lot of good work has been done, implying (hope,hope) that the
next generation will be better, and more importantly, the standard will
be fully documented in a written standards document for
everyone to use in writing whatever (presumably PD :-) )
software they desire, while remaining compatible.  Since the zoo
archive file format is in the PD, I assume that it will at
least get reviewed and considered in the development process
for this upcoming PD archive standard.

Steven Ward    ...harvard!cfa!ward