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From: mae@vygr.Sun.COM (Mike Ekberg, Sun {GPD-LEGO})
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Macintosh ROM Sources
Message-ID: <109301@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 10 Jun 89 00:40:04 GMT
References: <1210@tnoibbc.UUCP> <2801@wheaties.ai.mit.edu> <89160.093417DN5@PSUVM>
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Reply-To: mae@sun.UUCP (Mike Ekberg, Sun {GPD-LEGO})
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 33

I do not condone use of (allegedly) stolen material.

In article <89160.093417DN5@PSUVM> DN5@PSUVM.BITNET writes:
>Following up an article about an organization distributing sources to the
>Mac ROMs and System.
>
>I think that this may actually make cloning the Mac Roms and system harder.

I think a well accepted technique of legally reverse engineering technology
is to have two groups, working in isolation from each other. First group uses 
whatever(legally, of course {:-), it takes to figure out what the X does, 
laser slice the die, disassmble the ROM, etc. This first group then generates 
a *complete* spec, warts and all.

The second group then takes the spec. and generates the code, using only the
spec.

This technique was related to me by someone who had reverse engineered chips
for a living. Claims they found several bugs in some chips, but left them in
the spec. anyways to be compatable. 

Note under this technique, a complete, legally obtained  specification is more 
dangerous to the owner of the technology.

>                         Jay, etc.. (D. Jay Newman)
>                         dn5 AT psuvm.bitnet
>Disclaimer:
>  I am NOT a lawyer, so the above (including my name) should be taken as
>possiblly, perhaps even likely, incorrect.
        ^
Same here, (except 'scuse the spelling)!
# mike (sun!mae), M/S 8-04
"The people are the water, the army are the fish" Mao Tse-tung