timothym@tekigm.UUCP (Timothy D Margeson) (09/19/85)
Summary: My comments on NEC's actions re. V20/30 uP's.
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References: <1439@brl-tgr.ARPA>
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Reply-To: timothym@tekigm2 D Margeson.UUCP (Timothy D Margeson)
Followup-To: The ongoing discussion of Intel vs. NEC
Distribution: net.micro.pc
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton, OR.
Keywords: NEC, V20, V30, Copyright
[Grrrrr....DON'T TOUCH THIS LINE!]
{Just a short apology if this reached the net twice.}
{Postnews has been sick lately.}
About NEC and Intel.
Although I do not condone the current piracy of Intels 8088 and 8086
products, I cannot find fault with taking those same products, doing
various modifications to their current designs to improve them, and
then marketing the final *new* product.
If this tactic is illegal, then why hasn't Ford sued General Motors
for stealing their idea of a car? And no, I do not think that I am
comparing apples to oranges. Within the electronics industry one can
find several examples of this same *piracy* (I use the term loosely)
if one considers the TTL family of products. If you were to look at
the masks of several different vendors parts, I am certain you will
find many duplications. Does this mean every *original* designer is
within his legal rights to sue all of the remaining companies? I am
content to think not.
If NEC has taken photocopies of Intels masks, duplicated them, and
sold the parts from those masks, copyright infringement has taken
place, as well as possible patent infringements. This is not the
case with the V20 and V30 devices.
I have purchased the NEC V30 microprocessor for my Compaq Deskpro. I
do not feel that buying a better product is in support of pirates.
If Intel were offering the indentical part, with identical speed and
throughput, I would feel differently. They are not, so it is not a
case of piracy, it is a case of a better product for sale in an open
market.
For the record, these are my opinions, and not the opinions of my
employer, Tektronix, Inc., and I make no other claims or statements-
regarding the accuracy or content of this message.
--
Tim Margeson (206)253-5240
tektronix!tekigm!timothym @@ 'Who said that?'
PO Box 3500 d/s C1-465
Vancouver, WA. 98665