Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!caen.engin.umich.edu!sol.engin.umich.edu!billkatt
From: billkatt@sol.engin.umich.edu (billkatt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Jonathan (Macintosh Clone for somewhat more than $1000!)
Message-ID: <4255c163.a590@mag.engin.umich.edu>
Date: 30 Mar 89 16:06:00 GMT
References: <530@umiami.miami.edu> <7423@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <16381@cup.portal.com> <7483@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
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In article <7483@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> caromero@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (C. Antonio Romero) writes:
>In article <16381@cup.portal.com> jwhitnell@cup.portal.com (Jerry D Whitnell) writes:
>>Antonio Romero    romero@confidence.princeton.edu writes...
>>>Given the success of Phoenix, Award and DTK among others at cloning the
>>>PC BIOS withough legal problems, I don't see how Apple can deal with
>>>the cloned Mac ROMS through the usual lawsuits, unless they can
>>>demonstrate the 'uncleanness' of the ROMS.
>>
>>The difference between the original PC ROMs and the Macintosh is that
>>Apple holds patents on several pieces of technology included in the ROM.
>>So any clone not only has to duplicate the function of the ROM, but also
>>has the implement those functions without infringing on the patents Apple
>>holds.  Not a task for the faint of heart or small of pocketbook.
>
I don't think that is it possible (legally to clone the ROMs).  The ROMs
contain the routines which draw such things as pull-down menus.  Apple doesn't
like it when Microsoft does pull down menus, so they won't be happy if anyone
else does it, no matter what machine it is on.  It would seem to me that they
can reproduce the system calls that produce pull down menus and Apple's own
windows, but that the clone routines couldn't produce pull-down menus or
windows that look like Apple's.  Who would want to use a clone if the menu bar
didn't work correctly?

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