Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!rutgers!cbmvax!jesup
From: jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: Re: NeXT source code...
Message-ID: <5927@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 8 Feb 89 22:39:26 GMT
References: <7565@potomac.ads.com> <18068@glacier.STANFORD.EDU> <413c9e5f.17b76@puffin.engin.umich.edu>
Reply-To: jesup@cbmvax.UUCP (Randell Jesup)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 25

In article <413c9e5f.17b76@puffin.engin.umich.edu> swerling@caen.engin.umich.edu (Ace Swerling) writes:
>In hearing all this stuff about NeXT source code, I was reminded of the little
>episode with the NeXT browser on the Mac.  For those of you who don't know
>about it, a programmer in  the SF Bay area ported the Browser to the Mac and
>posted a limited version to the BMUG BBS.  Steve Jobs called the guy a few
>days later and told him to can it.  He said that if any company tries to copy
>the interface at some future time, he needs to be protected legally and that
>means that there can't be some unauthorized program running around.  I guess
>this also applies to source.  Steve wants to protect his legal rights and if
>he releases the code, he won't have any rights as far as look and feel go.
>Actually, I wrote him a note about the program and suggested that he give the
>guy rights to distribute it or have NeXT distribute it as a NeXT product.  He
>blew me off, (said thanks for the idea) but I guess that shows he's not
>interested indoing anything that might remotely compromise his legal position.

	In other words he wants to pull another "Apple against the world"
show like the Apple vs. Microsoft/HP suit, even though all the nExt interfaces
are based on and borrow from previous programs, like the mac, openlook,
sunview, xerox parc, browser programs available for many micros, etc, etc.
(In other words, the nExt user interface, while it has some new features, and
combines some older features not combined before, etc, it did _not_ spring
full-fledged from the head of Jobs (or his company.))

-- 
Randell Jesup, Commodore Engineering {uunet|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!jesup