X2Q@PSUVM.BITNET (Bougon, Michel) (07/15/87)
Earlier, I posted: > > OS2 is "the first product jointly developed by IBM and Microsoft under > their joint development agreement". > > So, who is the legal owner of OS2 ??? > > I received three replies: First, a reply from: dml@rabbit1.UUCP (David Langdon) Organization: Rabbit Software Corp., Malvern PA >>I believe that Microsoft is the legal owner of OS/2. They wrote the base >>version and IBM is producing the Extended Edition of OS/2 by modifying the >>base version. That is probably not the answer because: 1. IBM and MS jointly wrote the OS2 kernel starting in September 1985 (the year after the introduction of the AT). (Of course, every manufacturer will have to add to the OS2 kernel his own BIOS to obtain a working OS2). 2. The OS2 kernels for MS and IBM are IDENTICAL (as stressed several times by MS officials). 3. The Extended Edition is only the additional offering by IBM of two *applications* (Comm Mgr and DB Mgr) and involves (as stressed by MS officials) neither changes to the kernel nor special hooks into the kernel. Second, a reply from: cbenda@unccvax.UUCP (carl m benda) Organization: Univ. of NC at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC >>IBM owns IBM OS/2 >>MICROSOFT owns MS OS/2... >>simple eh? >>/Carl That is probably not the answer because, as mentioned above, IBM and MS wrote OS2 together and the kernels of IBM-OS2 and MS-OS2 are *identical*. Third, a reply from: From: dbercel@sun.uucp (Danielle Bercel, MIS Systems Programming). Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View >>In the currect issue of PC World there is an interview with Bill >>Gates. In it he says that OS2 is Microsoft's product. >>danielle If by "product" you mean "property", that is also not likely to be answer because: 1. when Bill Gates said "it is a Microsoft product", he was specifically talking of the GDDM Presentation Manager. But even if he had been talking of OS2, that would not make Microsoft the owner, because, 2. "producing" does not entail ownership, as every employee learns soon. In law, ownership arises from financing and directing production as well as the existence of a reporting situation where producers report to the financiers and directors (the agent-principal legal concept and its corollary, the "law of agency"). 3. the directing ("control" in Gates's terms) (and probably the financing) was done jointly by MS and IBM (although their respective insistence on "control" of particular features was different depending on the OS2 area). Thus, I think that the question is still open: Who owns OS2 ??? PS: Just think of the future of microcomputers if IBM moves from being a DOS licensee of Microsoft to, for instance, being a co-owner of OS2 (the IBM designated successor to DOS). Then, think of OS3. ----<end>----
bill@westpt.usma.edu (Bill Gunshannon) (07/17/87)
In article <16774X2Q@PSUVM>, X2Q@PSUVM.BITNET (Bougon, Michel) writes: > > PS: Just think of the future of microcomputers if IBM moves from being a DOS > licensee of Microsoft to, for instance, being a co-owner of OS2 (the IBM > designated successor to DOS). Then, think of OS3. > It looks to me like everything will work fine until it comes time to issue the new version to all the owners of OS8. OS9 ???? :-) #include <the.usuall.disclaimers> bill gunshannon UUCP: {philabs,phri}!westpt!bill PHONE: (914)446-7747 US SNAIL: Martin Marietta Data Systems RADIO: KB3YV USMA, Bldg 600, Room 26 AX.25 KB3YV @ WA2RKN West Point, NY 10996