rms@AI.MIT.EDU (Richard Stallman) (01/07/91)
Ordinarilly I help the people who ask this question. However, since you are at Xerox Parc, I must first ask you whether this is a matter of Xerox business. If it's for your own personal activities, I'll be happy to tell you how to solve the problem. However, if it's for Xerox business, then I don't think Xerox deserves people's help. Xerox has tried once already to get a copyright on basic features of window systems. Although this attempt failed, they haven't said they won't try it again against someone else--perhaps the GNU Project or anyone reading this list. Companies that assault our freedom shouldn't ask for favors. If Xerox is willing to promise not to do such a thing again, and call for the elimination of interface copyrights, I'm sure everyone will forgive their aberration. Would you like to suggest this to the management? For more information about what happened and the issue of interface copyright, contact the LPF at league@prep.ai.mit.edu.