Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!bu-cs!gjc
From: gjc@bu-cs.BU.EDU (George J. Carrette)
Newsgroups: gnu.gcc
Subject: copyleft
Message-ID: <32085@bu-cs.BU.EDU>
Date: 1 Jun 89 12:24:00 GMT
Organization: Boston U. Comp. Sci.
Lines: 17
In-reply-to: spaf@cs.purdue.edu's message of 1 Jun 89 03:22:24 GMT

The Bellcore, AT&T, IBM, and DEC people you are talking to are just
trying to scare you into not supporting free software.
How is it that other companies are using the software, e.g. INTEL?

Also, since GCC is distributed by DECUS I cannot see how DEC people
could avoid coming into contact with it.

The "contamination" argument is absurd, since there are not "trade-secret"
claims being made on GCC. Other than direct copying of code, which is
rather easy to control in a commercial environment, there is really
little danger to AT&T etc other than the danger of supporting the idea
of free software.

Fact: When you call the C++ people at ATT about the latest version they
      will suggest you get GCC++ for the time being.

-gjc