[comp.sys.apple] Copyrights

CHRIS@MSUS1.BITNET (10/23/89)

I was under the impression that a patent ran out in 7 years.  The copyright
can go from 50 to 75 years.

Chris.

F06546129@RVAX.CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU (Waldo ?) (10/23/89)

It is my understanding that for copyrighting _music_, the expiration
date is year of death + 50 years.  But this may or may not apply to
other things.

Waldo ?
Bitnet  :  F06546129@ARIZRVAX
Internet: F06546129@rvax.ccit.arizona.edu

huang@husc7.HARVARD.EDU (Howard Huang) (02/19/90)

David D Jansen writes:

>...I believe in Grandma, apple pie, and the American way but I don't
>believe in copyrights.

     Actually copyrights are part of the American way of letting people
do some work and ensuring that they are rewarded for their efforts.


>...Sure people put a lot of hard work into programming
>and other occupations and deserve to be recognized.  But why should things
>be restricted so much.

     By this train of thought, people who put a lot of hard work into
designing a computer should also relax their restrictions and give out
their computers for free.

     Many of the people who deserve to be recognized would like it done
in terms of money so they can make a living.  If people spent months doing
nothing but writing a program and then giving it away for free, they
wouldn't survive too long.

>... I program very much and will share my programs with
>others if it makes them happy or if they feel they can use it to improve it.

     A lot of people do write shareware or freeware, but it is by choice.
Other people would like to get something for their efforts, and there's
nothing wrong with that.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Howard C. Huang                        Internet:  huang@husc4.harvard.edu
Sophomore Computer Science Major       Bitnet:    huang@husc4.BITNET
Mather House 426, Harvard College      UUCP:      huang@husc4.UUCP (I think)
Cambridge, MA 02138                    Apple II:  ftp husc6.harvard.edu

unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) (02/20/90)

In article <1736@husc6.harvard.edu> huang@husc7.UUCP (Howard Huang) writes:
>David D Jansen writes:
>     Many of the people who deserve to be recognized would like it done
>in terms of money so they can make a living.  If people spent months doing
>nothing but writing a program and then giving it away for free, they
>wouldn't survive too long.
	I am not seriously in favor of this guy who says everything
should be free... [Hell, I'm about as much of a money-grubbing capitalist
as you can be. And I go to a stereotypically "hippie" college like UCSC!
I gotta work to change the image of this place!]
	I just thought of one good example.. Richard Greenblatt... I hope
he's the correct character from "Hackers" [where I learned about him]...
The guy that's writing a freeware UNIX clone... That guy actually has
some admirable qualities by trying to make such a huge project free, I'd
just rather make money off it.


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gwyn@smoke.BRL.MIL (Doug Gwyn) (02/21/90)

In article <6791@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) writes:
>	I just thought of one good example.. Richard Greenblatt... I hope
>he's the correct character from "Hackers" [where I learned about him]...

No, you're thinking of Richard M. Stallman of the GNU project.
Greenblatt is the fellow who designed a LISP machine that eventually
LMI and Symbolics got into lawsuits over.

>The guy that's writing a freeware UNIX clone... That guy actually has
>some admirable qualities by trying to make such a huge project free, I'd
>just rather make money off it.

I don't know how worthwhile pursuing a freebie UNIX look-alike is,
with Mach being overhauled to remove AT&T license dependency (and thus
become another source of "free UNIX") and with AT&T UNIX acquiring new
important functionality at a rapid rate.  The GNU project has nonetheless
produces some useful software products, e.g. EMACS, GCC, BISON, etc.
You can find out what's available by anonymous FTP to PREP.AI.MIT.EDU
(at least I seem to recall that's the GNU host).

spike@world.std.com (Joe Ilacqua) (02/23/90)

In article <12192@smoke.BRL.MIL> gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn) writes:
<In article <6791@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (The Unknown User) writes:
<>The guy that's writing a freeware UNIX clone... That guy actually has
<>some admirable qualities by trying to make such a huge project free, I'd
<>just rather make money off it.
<
<I don't know how worthwhile pursuing a freebie UNIX look-alike is,
<with Mach being overhauled to remove AT&T license dependency (and thus
<become another source of "free UNIX") and with AT&T UNIX acquiring new
<important functionality at a rapid rate.

	Or with 4.4BSD alapha release due out in June, with hopes to
be completly free of AT&T code by the final release...

->Spike
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